Ijoni laseMelika (R) lijongile xa ababaleki base-Ethiopia nabaseSomalia behla kwinqanawa yomkhosi wamanzi wase-US i-USS Pearl Harbour.UJean CURRAN / AFP / imifanekiso kaFetty Uhlaselo lwakutsha nje ngamajoni athi wabulala ii-commandos ezine zaseMelika eNiger kwaye kwaqhushumba itrakhi ibhombu leyo kushiye abantu abangaphezu kwama-350 beswelekile eSomalia —Iziganeko ezenzeka ngaphezulu kweekhilomitha ezingama-3 000 omnye komnye — zisikhumbuza ukuba ubugrogrisi busisongelo sokwenyani nesisoloko sifikelela nakwezona ndawo zikude zeplanethi yethu.
Ngenxa yoko, kwaye ngokuqinisekileyo kumxholo we-post-9/11 wehlabathi, ubukho bemikhosi yaseMelika buye banda kakhulu phesheya. IPentagon ngoku inemikhosi kumazwe aqhelekileyo aseMelika ngekhe iphuphe ngokuthumela imikhosi yethu kumashumi amabini okanye amathathu eminyaka eyadlulayo.
Akukho ndawo ikhoyo ngaphandle kwe-Afrika, apho iPentagon ine-5,000-6,000 servicemen kunye nabasetyhini abemi kumazwe angama-50 angama-54, ngokutsho kwesithethi somkhosi waseMelika kwi-Africa Command, okanye IAfrika , URobyn Mack, oxelele uMbonisi ngoLwesine ukuba uninzi lwale mikhosi lukuyo Jibhuti (malunga nama-4,000), onqumle iSomalia kwiPhondo leAfrika, naseNiger (malunga nama-800), ejikeleze iNtlango yeSahara kunye Sahel . (I-Egypt iwela phantsi kwePentagon's Central Command, okanye i-CENTCOM, hayi i-AFROM.)
Indawo yethu yoxanduva ngumceli mngeni kwaye unamandla, uqukethe imikhwa elungileyo kunye nengalunganga, utshilo uMack ngoLwesine. Ngamazwe angama-54 ase-Afrika, ngaphezulu kwamaqela e-800, iilwimi ezingaphezu kwe-1,000, ubutyebi bendalo kunye nobunzima bomhlaba amaxesha amathathu anesiqingatha ubukhulu be-United States, i-Afrika inzima.
Uninzi lwale mikhosi ngamalungu amajoni akhethekileyo asebenzayo eMelika kuwo onke amasebe omkhosi.
UMack uvumile ukuba ngawona mazwe mathathu kuphela e-Afrika i-U.S. Engenayo i-Eritrea, i-Equatorial Guinea kunye neGuinea-Bissau.
Sigcina iindawo ezili-14 ezihlala zikhona (iiNdawo ezi-2 eziQhubekayo eziSebenzayo neeNdawo zoKhuseleko eziBambiseneyo ezili-12) kwilizwekazi lase-Afrika, nelinika i-United States ithuba lokukhetha kwimeko yengxakeko kwaye ixhase nokwakha amandla amaqabane, uMack uyaqhubeka. Ukongeza, lo myalelo utyumbe iindawo ezingama-20 zokungxamiseka njengenxalenye yesiCwangciso seTheatre Posture se2017 egxile ekufikeleleni kumaqabane enkxaso, ukulwa izoyikiso, kunye nokukhusela umdla wase-US eMpuma, Mntla, naseNtshona Afrika.
Kwilizwe elifana neSomalia, apho ubugqwetha bulawula ilizwe kunye neqela elidibeneyo le-ISIS al Shabaab uququzelele uhlaselo, ukuthintela ubugrogrisi ekubeni buthunyelwe ngaphandle kuyimfuneko. Ukubeka iliso kwi-Shabaab ngaphakathi eSomalia yinto ephambili eWashington ngenxa yeqela ukukwazi ukubetha amazwe angabamelwane . Kwi-2017, phantse lishumi elinesithathu uqhankqalazo olwenziwe lulwandle, umhlaba okanye umoya ngokuchasene nemikhosi esebenza ngaphakathi eSomalia. Ishumi elinambini lolo qhankqalazo luye lwavela oko kwaqhushumba itrakhi kwikomkhulu lolwandle laseSomalia, eMogadishu, ngo-Okthobha, utshilo uMack.
Ngaba iPentagon izisasaza icekeceke kakhulu kwaye itsala ubugrogrisi ngobukho nje bemikhosi yaseMelika kunye neempahla zomkhosi?
Uhlaselo lwaseNiger luzise lo mbuzo kugxilwe ngokukhawuleza kutshanje. Abantu baseNigeriens baseAgadez uxelelwe IWashington Post kutshanje Bebenexhala lokuba isiseko sedrone esitsha kufutshane nesixeko siza kusebenza njengomazibuthe wabanqolobi.
Amakhongolo amaninzi aseMelika ayengazi nokuba i-U.S. Yayinemikhosi emininzi kwelo lizwe lihlwempuzekileyo.
Ebuzwa ukuba uyazi na ukuba kukho imikhosi eNiger, uSen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) uxelele u-Chris Cuomo we-CNN kutshanje , Khange ndi. Uqhubeke wathi, Xa ucinga okwenzekileyo apha, iisergeants ezine ziphulukene nobomi bazo, ndicinga ukuba mninzi umsebenzi ekufuneka wenziwe ngamacala omabini namasebe karhulumente. Ayisiyiyo ukuhlala unolwazi kuphela kodwa ukugxila ekubeni kutheni silapha kwaye kwenzeka ntoni ukuya ezantsi koku.
Kwaye uSen.Lindsey Graham (R-SC), ilungu leKomiti yeeNkonzo eziXhobileyo, uxelele uNBC uChuck Todd ukuba wayengazi ukuba mininzi imikhosi yaseMelika eNiger.
(Amagosa ePentagon) bazakusixelela kwiveki ezayo malunga nokuba babelapho kwaye benza ntoni, utshilo kuTodd.
Imikhosi yaseMelika isasazeke kwihlabathi liphela kangangokuba abenzi bomthetho abaphezulu abazi ukuba kuqhubeka ntoni okanye ngubani.
Umntu kufuneka azibuze ukuba ngabaphuli-mthetho baseMelika baxelela ntoni amagosa ePentagon malunga nokufumana kwabo iAfrika iphela. Ngaba kungathetha ukwehla ngoku ekubeni kusenziwa into enkulu malunga nobukho baseMelika ngenxa yokuhlaselwa kweGreen Berets eNiger?
Kuyinyani ukuba ukunyuka kwe-US kukwanda e-Afrika, kodwa ukusweleka kwemikhosi emine yase-US eNiger kwinyanga ephelileyo kukhokelele kolu hlolisiso, Ugqirha Alex Vines, ingcali yezokhuseleko yase-Afrika ye-tank ese-London eseChatham House , uxelele uMqwalaseli. Ngokukhawuleza ukuba ukwazi ukuba kuya kuba yintoni umphumo.
IVines iqaphele ubukho bemikhosi yaseMelika eSomalia, umzekelo, inyuswe ukusuka kuma-50 ukuya kuma-500 kwiinyanga ezintandathu ezidlulileyo ukuhlawulela umsebenzi owandisiweyo we-al Shabaab.
Abenzi bezomthetho baseMelika kufuneka benze into yokufumana rhoqo iingcaciso ezimalunga nokwenziwa yimikhosi yase-US kwilizwe ngalinye kwilizwekazi lase-Afrika kwaye ichonge indlela ekubaluleke ngayo kukhuseleko lwesizwe sase-US ubukho babo xa kuthelekiswa nomgangatho wobudlelwane obugcinwe kwilizwe ngalinye elisingathiweyo.
U-Les Neuhaus ligalelo leSizwe kunye neLizwe lePolitiki kwi-Braganca. Mlandele kwi-Twitter @LesNeuhaus
