December 2017 Diffa Region clash

Chad Basin clash
Part of the Boko Haram insurgency and Operation Juniper Shield
US and Nigerian soldiers training together in Diffa, on 28 February 2017.
Date 6 December 2017 Location Diffa Region, Niger Result Nigerien and American victory
Belligerents
Niger Army Special Forces  France	ISIL-West Africa
Casualties and losses
None	11 killed 2 suicide bombers 1 weapons cache destroyed

In the early morning hours of 6 December 2017 militants believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State in West Africa attacked a patrol of US Army Special Forces and Nigerien soldiers near Diffa, in the Lake Chad Basin Region in Niger.^[1] During the ensuing firefight, no Nigerien or American personal were killed or wounded while 11 militants including two wearing suicide vests died, an enemy weapons cache was also destroyed by the joint US/Nigerien force a United States Africa Command statement said.^[2][3] The firefight was not planned as the purpose of the mission was aimed at setting "The conditions for future partner-led operations against violent extremist organizations in the region" the statement added.^[4]

The attack came a little over two months after an ambush in the village of Tongo Tongo that left at least 30 dead including four Americans.^[5] The December firefight was first learned of after a declassified report made for Congress was obtained and reported by The New York Times.^[6] The firefight is just one of 10 other incidents involving American personal in Niger.^[7] During these previous firefights excluding the ambush that happened two months earlier only a few enemy combatants died while no Americans or Nigeriens were hurt.

This event and most prominently the October ambush led to security changes for US forces operating in the region such as armored vehicles instead of lightly armored SUV's, the arming of drones, and taking a closer look at when US forces conduct operations with local troops.^[8]

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