When the newly-elected Donald Trump declared last year that he no longer wanted US troops fighting in far-off lands, he might well have had villages like Tongo Tongo in northern Niger in mind.
A shabby, sun-baked hamlet near the border with Mali, it is one of the remotest places in the world, lying in central Africa's Sahel belt south-east of Timbuktu.
Yet in recent months, teams of US special forces have been seen in Tongo Tongo and the surrounding scrubland, mentoring local troops on how to tackle the growing threat from Islamic militants.
Like of many of Pentagon's more obscure missions, the 800-strong US presence in Niger was little-known to most Americans — and quite possibly, Mr Trump himself, who is not famed for his knowledge of the world’s more distant corners.
That was until a week ago last Wednesday, when four Green Berets were killed during what was supposed to be a routine patrol in Tongo Tongo with their Nigerois counterparts.
In what seems to have been a pre-planned ambush, they were attacked by up to 50 militants armed with truck-mounted heavy machine guns as they left a meeting with village elders.
The incident — in what had been deemed a "low risk" area — was the worst loss of US military life on African soil since the Black Hawk Down incident in Somalia in 1993, when 19 US soldiers died.
However, should Mr Trump now demand a review of the US presence there, his commanders on the ground may beg to differ. For just as the West seems to be turning the corner against militants in Syria and Iraq, they are once again on the rise across central Africa.
Security analysts say the threat is at a level not seen since five years ago, when French troops were dispatched to oust Al Qaeda's local franchise, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), from the "caliphate" it had set up across northern Mali.
Although the militants quickly melted from the overwhelming French firepower, the 5,000 strong French force that remained behind to hunt them down has had its work cut out as their quarry scattered over the region.
In an area five times the size of Syria, not even the presence of three new US drone bases — in Niger, Mali, and neighbouring Burkina Faso — has been enough to pinpoint the terrorists' hideouts.
Meanwhile, a peace deal with the Tuareg tribes of northern Mali — whose rebellion in 2012 was hijacked by AQIM — has faltered, leaving the Mali government weak and the region with no shortage of disgruntled guns for hire.
One theory is that the attack in Tongo Tongo village may have been carried out by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, a local ISIL chapter formed last year.
"There's a concern already that ISIS forces may try to regroup here," said Jonathan Dunbar, a senior Africa analyst with Sybilline, a London-based risk consultancy. "Already there is some talk that a few may already have relocated from Sirte in Libya."
But he said an equally likely culprit would the much larger Jamaat Nosrat Al Islam wal Mouslimin — the "Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims" — a new coalition of groups loyal to Al Qaeda, ISIL’s main jihadist rival.
Jamaat Nosrat was launched in March via a sombre video in which five bearded militants read a statement from a laptop. Unlike ISIL’s gore-filled videos, it featured no gore or gunmen. But while it may have looked more like a company merger announcement than a call to arms, those behind it have no shortage of terrorist experience.
As well as veteran AQIM figures and Tuareg Islamists, the coalition includes Al Mourabitoun, the AQIM offshoot whose gunmen stormed a Radisson hotel in Mali in 2015, killing 26. It later carried out similar attacks at hotels in Burkina Faso and a beach resort in the Ivory Coast.
Read more: ISIL and Al Qaeda still pose threats worldwide, UN experts say
Since the Jamaat Nosrat factions joined forces, the region has seen a further upsurge in attacks, both on local forces and the 15,000 strong UN and peacekeeping mission, now considered the most dangerous UN deployment in the world.
The fear is that what seemed like a relatively straightforward intervention five years ago may now become another Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Things may appear worse, particularly in more rural areas, than at any time since the French intervention in 2014," said Roger Macmillan, an ex-British army major now working with Armatus Risks, a UK security company operating in Mali. "But dealing with the root causes and ever-changing security paradigm is hard."
The question now is whether Mr Trump will still want to send troops to get in the way. With the Pentagon already in the process of building a second $100 million base in northern Niger, the commitment seems unavoidable in the short term. But with the deaths in Tongo Tongo showing that even America's elite special forces can be vulnerable, he may wonder if eyes in the sky are better than boots on the ground.
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
More Iraq election coverage:
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
