Niger: Contractors. This is six days old

[canetoad]

US Military Reveals Contractors Flew to the Rescue in Niger, but Little Else
By Joseph TrevithickOctober 13, 2017

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/15121/us-military-reveals-contractors-flew-to-the-rescue-in-niger-but-little-else

Additional details that have emerged regarding an ambush in southwest Niger that left four U.S. Army soldiers dead continue to prompt more questions than they answer about the incident. The top American headquarters for military operations on the continent, U.S. Africa Command, has now confirmed that private contractors helped casualties evacuate the area afterwards, but has again declined to elaborate on the U.S.-Nigerien patrol's overall objectives or who is responsible for the attack.

The facts as they are known at present are that, on Oct. 4, 2017, two U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers and two other members of the service attached to elements of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Niger died after their convoy came under attack from militants near the village of Tongo Tongo, near the border with Mali. A multi-national force of American, Nigerien, and French forces responded to the incident to help drive off the hostile force and rescue the remaining friendly personnel. One of the American soldiers killed in the incident was missing for two days before U.S. forces recovered his body and it remains unclear when and how he died.

Private contractors working for Berry Aviation in Niger’s capital Niamey “were on alert during the incident and conducted casualty evacuation and transport for U.S. and partner forces,” Robyn Mack, a spokesperson for U.S Africa Command, or AFRICOM, told The War Zone in an Email. “Currently, Berry Aviation is the only contractor in Niger or Burkina Faso under CASEVAC [casualty evacuation] contract for U.S. Africa Command.”

We don’t know what part of the process the company was involved in, whether it was moving casualties from Tongo Tongo to Niamey, between a third site and the Nigerien capital, or from there to the U.S. military’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Berry Aviation is presently fulfilling the terms of a three month bridge contract through the end of October 2017 that requires the firm to have one fixed wing aircraft and one helicopter situated in Niamey ready to go within three hours for operations throughout North and West Africa.

[malaise]

1. Thanks n/t

[riversedge]

2. Do you mean Niger????

[canetoad]

3. Thanks

Yes I do. Will edit.

[jaysunb]

4. Contractors Republican financial base. n/t

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Smells like a Tillerson-Trump-Putin Scandle

about to go boom big time. Exxon owes 74 billion in taxes to who? Military Contractors FUBUR?

Putin/Gasprom buy Niger Uranium mines and rights why ?

[jaysunb]

6. I hope Mueller can hold on long enough to snare a few more fish. nt

[Wellstone ruled]

7. This smell like one major scandal

that will take a few Republicans down. Notice the Rethugs in the Senate are about to use Reconciliation to pass the Koch Brothers Christmas gift package. Think the know,when the public gets wind of Niger and this Wealth transfer deal,the is going to be riots in the streets.

[jaysunb]

8. Smells like treason to me. n/t

[burrowowl]

13. I hope A TON OF FISH

[inwiththenew]

9. This feels like a CIA op that went bad

n/t

[Wellstone ruled]

10. There is a ton more going on with this .

Why did Trump and Grassley suddenly go after Clinton and Obama today. Bloomberg had a story this AM about the Sale of Niger Uranium to Gasprom mining.

Then tonight we hear that Exxon-Mobile owes someone in the same region 74 billion in taxes. Were we guarding a somebodies Mining operation.

Looks like the Spook's did a FUBAR.

[burrowowl]

11. And insulting Chad, etc.

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Exxon-Mobil 74billion due in taxes to Chad,

is this one on Tillerson? What a bunch of crooks,hope McCain blows this sky high.