**FIRST ON FOX:** U.S. troops combating al Qaeda and ISIS jihadist fighters in Niger and other West African countries within the terror-ridden Sahel region are reportedly “completely blind,” following a policy proposal developed by the Biden administration, a former senior State Department official told Fox News Digital.
A U.S. military source, speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital, claimed that the Pentagon now faces “a black hole” when reacting to serious incidents such as the October 21 kidnapping of a U.S. citizen.
Until September of last year, the U.S. maintained two airbases in Niger. From these bases, American surveillance drones operated high-tech cameras capable of peering through thick forests to locate terror groups. These drones were believed to have played a critical role in locating another American resident of Niger who was kidnapped in 2020, during the first Trump administration. Seal Team Six was then deployed and successfully rescued that citizen.
According to the military source, Niger wanted Washington to keep its bases. However, in March last year, Niger complained about the “condescending attitude” of a U.S. delegation sent by the Biden administration and ordered all American base personnel to leave.
### American Missionary Kidnapped in Niger by Suspected Islamist Militants, Sources Say
Following the meeting on March 16, Niger’s government spokesperson, Amadou Adramane, appeared on national television to express grievances. He criticized the delegation from the previous administration for not following diplomatic protocol and stated, “Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships.”
Adramane continued, “Also, the government of Niger forcefully denounces the condescending attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation from the head of the American delegation towards the Nigerien government and people.”
Mary “Molly” Phee, then Assistant Secretary of State for the Biden administration, led the U.S. team in the meeting with Niger’s military leadership. Several sources told Fox News Digital that Phee demanded Niger cease relations with Russia and Iran or face sanctions. One source described her approach as “flame spraying” the Nigerien leaders, adding that the “rant led us to being kicked out.” The Washington Post also reported that Nigerien leaders took particular offense to her remarks.
On Saturday, Phee, now retired, told Fox News Digital, “It’s a classic case of blame the messenger if you don’t like the message.”
### Expert Warns Critical Hours Slipping Away as Kidnappers Likely to Move U.S. Missionary in Niger
Phee explained that she was following Biden administration policy, saying, “I’m a professional diplomat with more than 30 years of experience, and I was leading an interagency delegation dispatched to share a proposal developed and approved by the White House. The Nigerien junta rejected our offer and employed a misogynistic trope to deflect legitimate concerns about their conduct.”
Within months of the delegation’s meeting, all U.S. personnel and their drones were removed from Niger, leaving Washington, the military source claimed, with “no eyes in the sky.” The former Commander of U.S. Africa Command expressed that Niger “would be much safer, and we would have eyes in the sky to help find the American missionary… now we have nothing in the way of resources.”
The source told Fox News Digital that rescue efforts are now “difficult to impossible… first we have to find the guy.”
Analysts agree that, particularly in the Sahel’s harsh conditions, relying on satellites alone makes it difficult for Washington to track the missing American missionary effectively.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/biden-admins-diplomatic-failure-niger-leaves-us-without-eyes-sky-terror-fight