U.S. troops - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Putin warns the West: Russia is ready for nuclear war

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin told the West that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a significant escalation of the conflict. Putin, speaking ahead of a March 15-17 election which is certain to give him another six years in power, added that the nuclear war scenario was not "rushing" up and he saw no need for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," Putin, 71, told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA when asked whether Russia was really ready…

Jan

2024

By PHIL STEWART and IDREES ALI

Biden faces pressure to strike Iran after US troops killed

WORLD

THE killing of three U.S. troops and wounding of dozens more by Iran-backed militants is piling political pressure on President Joe Biden to deal a blow directly against Iran, a move he's been reluctant to do out of fear of igniting a broader war. Biden's response options could range anywhere from targeting Iranian forces outside to even inside Iran, or opting for a more cautious retaliatory attack solely against the Iran-backed militants responsible, experts say. American forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 150 times by Iran-backed forces in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and off the coast of…

Oct

2023

By PATRICIA ZENGERLE

US Senate rejects bid to remove troops from Niger

NEWS

THE U.S. Senate overwhelmingly rejected legislation that would have forced President Joe Biden to withdraw U.S. troops from Niger, a West African nation where military officers seized power in July. The measure was rejected by 86-11. The United States formally declared this month that there had been a military coup d'etat in Niger, which results in officially suspending assistance, but U.S. officials said there were no plans to change the U.S. troop presence in the country. Niger has been a partner for Washington's fight against Islamist insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more in Africa. There are about…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Taliban hail victory with gunfire after last U.S. troops leave Afghanistan

WORLD

CELEBRATORY gunfire resounded across the Afghan capital as the Taliban took control of the airport following the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, marking the end of a 20-year war that left the Islamist group stronger than it was in 2001. Shaky video footage distributed by the Taliban showed fighters entering the airport after the last U.S. troops flew out on a C-17 aircraft a minute before midnight, ending a hasty and humiliating exit for Washington and its NATO allies. "It is a historical day and a historical moment," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference at the airport…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. ends its longest war: Some Afghans not happy

WORLD

MANY Afghans believe that the United States is putting them at the mercy of hardline Islamist Taliban insurgents after President Joe Biden's announcement that U.S. troops will leave the country by September 11. The withdrawal date was pushed back four months from the May 1 deadline agreed to between the Washington and the insurgents last year - but, this time, there have been no conditions attached to the pullout. "International forces' intervention was like a light in a dark night," Amina, 32, a teacher at a girls school in the northern province of Kunduz, told Reuters. Amina, who was a…