Page 8 - AHATA

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 25 OctOber 2017
US suspects Niger villager betrayed Army troops Trump to skip

By LOLITA C. BALDOR ers, who also killed four Ni- go out on a routine mission (50 miles) north of Niger’s EAS Summit
Associated Press ger fighters and wounded to meet local tribal lead- capital, Niamey. After get-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The two Americans and several ers and work with the Niger ting supplies and meeting while in Asia
U.S. military believes some- Niger troops. forces. But after they had with tribal leaders, the joint
one in a Niger village may Details about the attack set out on Oct. 3, they re- patrol left the village. They By JON LEMIRE
have tipped off attack- and the events leading ceived a new assignment, were attacked about 200 Associated Press
ers to the presence of U.S. up to it have been murky, the official said. They were kilometers (120 miles) north NEW YORK (AP) — President
commandoes and Niger- trickling out over the last asked to go to a location of Niamey, by what officials Donald Trump will skip a
ien forces in the area, set- three weeks. According where the insurgent had believe was a relatively key Asia summit at the end
ting in motion the ambush to the official, the joint U.S. last been seen, and collect new offshoot of the Islamic of his trip to the region next
that killed four Americans, and Niger patrol was asked intelligence. Because the State group that calls itself month. The White House
a senior defense official to help a second American insurgent leader was no Islamic State in the Sahel. said Tuesday that Trump
said Tuesday. commando team that had longer in that area, military That group is not believed will be returning to the Unit-
The official said the Army been hunting for a senior commanders believed the to be connected to the ed States on Nov. 14, which
Green Berets and about member of al-Qaida in the operation wasn’t risky. AQIM leader that the other is the same day as the East
30 Niger forces stopped in Islamic Maghreb believed U.S. military officials be- American special forces Asia Summit (EAS) in the
a village for an hour or two to be in the area. lieve the intelligence mis- team has been looking for. Philippines. Trump is slated
to get food and water after The official wasn’t autho- sion went well during the The enemy fighters at- to attend the Association
conducting an overnight rized to discuss the incident night. But on their way tacked on motorcycles, of Southeast Asian Nations
reconnaissance mission. publicly so spoke on condi- back to their base in the carrying rocket-propelled (ASEAN) summit, which is
After they left, they were tion of anonymity. morning, the U.S. and Ni- grenades and heavy ma- also in the Philippines, the
ambushed by about 50 The joint U.S. and Niger ger troops stopped at a chine guns, setting off a day before but he will not
heavily armed enemy fight- team was initially told to village about 85 kilometers long and complex battle.q stay the extra day. Another
U.S. delegation will attend
Tillerson in Pakistan sends message on safe havens the EAS, which will include
more than a dozen Asian
nations as well as Australia,
By MATTHEW LEE New Zealand and Russia.
ALEX BRANDON The White House did not
Associated Press give a reason as to Trump’s
ISLAMABAD (AP) — U.S. absence.
Secretary of State Rex Til- The Philippines will be the fi-
lerson is in Pakistan to de- nal stop of Trump’s 12-day,
liver a tough message on five-nation trip — his first to
the importance of fighting Asia. The trip is expected
extremists and driving them to be dominated by Trump
from hideouts on Pakistani demanding that American
territory. allies in the region increase
Tillerson arrived in Islam- pressure on North Korea to
abad on Tuesday, a day abandon its nuclear weap-
after traveling to Iraq and ons ambitions.
Afghanistan in conditions But for all of President
of strict secrecy. He met Trump’s overheated talk
with Pakistan’s Prime Minis- about North Korea’s Kim
ter Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Jung Un and the country’s
Foreign Minister Khwaja nuclear program, Trump
Mohammad Asif and the will likely not make the cus-
heads of the army and in- tomary presidential visit to
telligence services. the heavily fortified border
Tillerson told Abbasi that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, right, is greeted by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khan Abbasi, between North and South
Pakistan is “so important before their meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, in Islamabad, Korea known as the De-
regionally to our joint goals Pakistan. militarized Zone. Trump has
of providing peace and (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) derided Kim as “Little Rock-
security to the region and that we agreed and we ganizations that find safe administration’s new strat- et Man” and threatened to
providing opportunity for appreciate the engage- haven inside of Pakistan,” egy for the region, which is unleash “fire and fury” on
greater economic relation- ment.” In Afghanistan on he said. “So we want to heavy on combatting ex- Pyongyang if its leaders do
ship.” Monday, he told reporters work closely Pakistan to tremist groups. not abandon the weapons
Abbasi said Pakistan is that Pakistan’s coopera- create a more stable and Last week, CIA director program.
“committed in the war tion on counterterrorism is secure Pakistan as well.” Mike Pompeo said that for He will also advocate
against terror.” essential for a good rela- Earlier this month, the cam- the strategy to work, the American economic inter-
“We have produced results tionship with the U.S. His paign appeared to pro- Taliban must be convinced ests during his trip, which
and we are looking forward comments echoed those duce some success when they have no hope of win- include stops in Japan
to moving ahead with the of other top U.S. officials Pakistani security forces ning militarily in Afghani- and China before travel-
U.S. and building a tremen- who have been pressing assisted with the release of stan and that means mak- ing to Vietnam for the Asia-
dous relationship,” he said. Pakistan on the matter. a Taliban-held U.S.-Cana- ing it impossible for them to Pacific Economic Coop-
“The U.S. can rest assured He said Pakistan needs to dian family after five years cross the rugged Afghan- eration (APEC) meetings.
that we are strategic part- “take a clear-eyed view” in captivity. However, of- Pakistani border and hide The Washington Post first
ners in the war against ter- of its position and act. ficials cautioned that ac- inside Pakistan. reported Trump decision’s
ror and that today Pakistan “Pakistan needs to, I think, tion needed to be followed “To do that you cannot to skip the East Asia Sum-
is fighting the largest war in take a clear-eyed view of with additional steps. have a safe haven in Paki- mit, which mostly focuses
the world against terror,” the situation that they are Tillerson, who will visit India stan,” he said. But he add- on general strategic issues
Abbasi said. “We appre- confronted with in terms of after Pakistan, is in South ed that the U.S. had low ex- rather than the economic
ciate the understandings the number of terrorist or- Asia to outline the Trump pectations. q matters at APEC.q