View source for Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara

{{Expert-subject|Military history|date=December 2009}}
{{articleissues|update=December 2009}}

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{{Infobox Military Conflict
| conflict=[[Operation Enduring Freedom]] - Trans Sahara
| partof= the [[War on Terrorism]]
| image= 
| caption=
| date=February 6, 2007 - ongoing 
| place= [[Sahara Desert]]
| casus= [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] and [[2003 Casablanca bombings|Casablanca bombings]] 
| territory= 
| result=Conflict ongoing
| combatant1={{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]] <br> {{flag|United Kingdom}} <br> {{ALG}} <br> {{CHA}} <br> {{MAR}} <br> {{NIG}} <br>{{flagicon|Mauritania}} [[Mauritania]] <br> {{MLI}} <br> {{SEN}}
| combatant2= [[Image:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg|24px]] [[al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb]] 
| commander1={{flagicon|United States}} [[Barack Obama]]<br>{{flagicon|United States}} [[George W. Bush]]<br>{{flagicon|Chad}} [[Idriss Deby]]<br>{{flagicon|Algeria}} [[Ahmed Ouyahia]]
| commander2=[[Image:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg|24px]] [[Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud]]
| strength1=480 Americans; 250 Algerians; 200 Chadians; 20 Moroccans; 5 Nigerien; 3 Mauritanians; 1 Malian; 25 Senegalese medical doctors<br>'''Total: 959 troops and 25 medical doctors'''
| strength2=>500 (al-Qaeda claim)
| casualties1=1 US Army Special Forces operator in Mali<ref>http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11108</ref>,<br>1 aircraft damaged
| casualties2=100+ militants, 263 non-combat fatalities, 2 military jeeps destroyed
}}
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'''Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara''' ('''OEF-TS''') is the name of the military operation conducted by the United States and partner nations in the [[Sahara]]/[[Sahel]] region of Africa, consisting of [[counterterrorism]] efforts and policing of [[arms trafficking|arms]] and [[drug trafficking]] across central Africa. It is part of the Global [[War on Terrorism]] (GWOT). 

[[Joint Task Force Aztec Silence]] (JTF Aztec Silence) is the [[combined arms]] organization assigned to implement the missions and meet the goals of OEF-TS.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} The JTF has been part of [[United States European Command]] (EUCOM). As of September 2007, with the announcement of the new [[United States Africa Command]], the mission will fall under the responsibility of Africa Command.<ref name=DOD-ESTABLISHING-US-AFRICA-COMMAND>{{cite news
|title=DoD Establishing U.S. Africa Command
|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?id=2940
|publisher=[[US Department of Defense]]
|date=2007-02-06
|accessdate=2007-02-06}}</ref>

The [[US Congress|Congress]] approved $500 million for the [[Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative]] (TSCTI) over six years to support countries involved in [[counterterrorism]] against alleged threats of [[Al Qaeda]] operating in African countries, primarily [[Algeria]], [[Chad]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Niger]], [[Senegal]], [[Nigeria]], and [[Morocco]].<ref name=AFRICA-TO-GET-ITS-OWN-US-MILITARY-COMMAND>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6336063.stm BBC News "US to get Africa command centre" 6 February 2007]</ref> This program builds upon the former [[Pan Sahel Initiative]] (PSI), which concluded in December 2004<ref name=EUCOM-OPERATIONS-AND-INITIATIVES>{{cite web
|title=EUCOM: Operations and Initiatives
|url=http://www.eucom.mil/english/Operations/main.asp
|publisher=[[EUCOM]]
|accessdate=2007-02-06 }}</ref> and focused on [[weapon trafficking|weapon]] and [[drug trafficking]], as well as counterterrorism.<ref name=PAN-SAHEL-INITIATIVE>{{cite web
|title=Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI)the farted up a storm
|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/pan-sahel.htm
|publisher=[[GlobalSecurity.org]]
|accessdate=2007-02-06 }}</ref> TSCTI has both military and non-military components to it. OEF-TS is the military component of the program. Civil affairs elements include [[USAID]] educational efforts, airport security, [[United States Department of the Treasury|Department of the Treasury]], and [[U.S. State Department|State Department]] efforts.<ref name=OEF-TS-GLOBALSECURITY>{{cite web
|title=Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara (OEF-TS)
|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/oef-ts.htm
|publisher=[[GlobalSecurity.org]]
|accessdate=2007-02-06 }}</ref>

On September 12th while delivering food to [[Mali]]an troops a US C-130 cargo plane was struck by machine gun rounds from suspected [[Tuareg]] rebels, no one was injured and the plane made it safely to its destination. So far, over 100 al-Qaeda militants have been killed by the hostile conditions of the Sahara Desert. On September 20, 2007 two military jeeps believed to be the miliants' were destroyed by Chadian troops near the Algerian border.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/09/13/Mali.USplane.ap/index.html</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{War on Terrorism|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:War on Terror]]
[[Category:Counter-terrorism policy of the United States]]
[[Category:Military operations involving the United States]]

[[it:Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara]]
[[ru:Операция «Несокрушимая свобода» — Западная Сахара]]
[[Category:2Fix]]