Joe Biden Has All But Abandoned American Personnel in Niger

I never really talk about foreign affairs here on PJ Media, but you undoubtedly have a pretty good idea by now of just how badly the Biden administration has been on the world stage and in foreign policy. Iran and Israel are about to go to war, and China is champing at the bit to take over Taiwan.

But there is another blunder Biden's handlers have caused, and you're only hearing about it now because they've been covering it up.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whatever you think of him, recently released a report describing how American military personnel have been essentially stranded in the West African country of Niger (the French-speaking one, not the one your grandma accidentally sent money to because some scammer claimed to be a deposed prince from Nigeria).

See, we had been friends with the Nigerien government to help train and assist in fighting groups like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Boko Haram. Last March, Secretary of State Antony Blinken sang the Niger government's praises, calling them "an extraordinary model at a time of great challenge – a model of resilience, a model of democracy, a model of cooperation."

Just a few months later, at the end of July, the legitimate government was overthrown by a group calling itself Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie (CNSP) or "National Council for the Safeguard of the Fatherland," an oddly Germanic-sounding name if you get my drift.

Anyway, the kicker is that we trained these guys.

Boy, who could've seen that coming?

Since taking power, the CNSP junta has been trying to rid the country of the American presence, and negotiations have been going south. On the House floor, Rep. Gaetz said the new prime minister literally slammed the door in the face of AFRICOM Commander Michael Langley.

"You would think if we trained you to overthrow your democratically-elected government, we can at least get a meeting," Rep. Gaetz said.

This matters because approximately 1,100 Americans have been stranded in the country (a number Biden had previously lied about, saying there were about 700), unable to receive new supplies or personnel because of a cessation in diplomatic clearance overflights. According to Gaetz, personnel are expected to run out of medicine soon, and obtaining reliable, drinkable water has been difficult.

So what has the Biden administration done about it?

The report says, "The US Embassy is dismissing or suppressing Office of Special Investigations (OSI) & Special Operation Command Africa (SOCAF) intelligence and information that supports the aforementioned CNSP demands and is actively working to contain and/or refute U.S. intelligence assessments."

In other words, Biden's handlers are just trying to sweep it under the rug.

Gaetz suggested this could very well lead to another Benghazi scenario. If this does happen, more American blood will be on this administration's hands, on top of the three servicemembers killed at the end of January in Jordan by a drone strike, the various others, and, of course, everyone who has died at the hands of fentanyl or an illegal immigrant that has crossed the border.

Can November please come here faster so we can vote Trump back in?