U.S. exercise sees forces bogged down in war
Fictional scenario used in war game with Canada
An al-Qaida bomb destroys the Canadian embassy in Mauritania, killing the ambassador and all his staff.
The same day, al-Qaida’s African affiliate attacks the Lincoln Tunnel in New York City, using massive truck bombs to kill more than 400.
Canada and the U.S. respond by launching Operation Desert Strike, sending troops to Mauritania to hunt down insurgents.
Canadian navy ships patrol off the coast of that African country. Royal Canadian Air Force jets take part in raids with their U.S. counterparts.
But like a number of recent U.S.-led operations, the battle for Mauritania morphs into a messy war that drags on for years.
The joint Canadian-U.S. military mission in Mauritania was the fictional scenario that U.S. defence officials used last year for a Pentagon war game. Details about the war game, set in 2023, were obtained by the Intercept, a news site that has published various U.S. intelligence records.
The exercise was part of the 2016 Joint Land, Air and Sea Strategic Special Program, which involved 148 personnel from various U.S. war colleges.
The Canadian Forces did not take part in the exercise, Department of National Defence spokesman Evan Koronewski said Monday.
But Canada was well represented in the scenario that was played out by the strategists. As the war drags on, Canadian casualties mount at the hands of alQaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The presence of the combined U.S.-Canadian force in Mauritania further fuels the insurgency. A Christmas Eve bombing outside a Canadian base in eastern Mauritania kills eight soldiers and wounds another 15, according to the scenario.
With the war dragging on, Canadian prime minister Richard Baker orders Canadian troops out of Mauritania starting in April 2026. NATO declines U.S. requests to provide military support and America must fight on by itself.
Although the scenario is set in the future, it builds on concerns from U.S., Canadian and allied militaries about growing Islamist extremism in Africa.
The U.S. has steadily boosted its military presence in the region. It operates a drone base to hunt down insurgent leaders and special forces teams are supporting various African nations. Canadian special forces have trained African troops in various nations as part of a U.S.-led effort to counter AQIM.
The conflict has also been heating up. Earlier this month, four U.S. soldiers were killed and two wounded during an ambush by gunmen in Niger.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday that about 50 insurgents were involved in the ambush.
It is believed that forces with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may have been behind the attack but the area is also home to AQIM.
AQIM’s roots can be traced back to Islamic insurgents who have been fighting the Algerian government for years. But over time, the group has become more closely aligned with al-Qaida and has branched out to conduct attacks and engage in kidnapping in other countries in the region. In December 2008, for instance, Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay were abducted and held for 130 days by AQIM. Reports suggested their release was made in exchange for the freedom of four AQIM detainees.
Islamic insurgents in Africa were also bolstered when a NATO campaign in 2011 helped overthrow Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Islamic extremists, including those from ISIL, later took over parts of Libya. Weapons stolen from Gadhafi’s arsenals flooded into the region, allowing AQIM to re-equip itself.
The Canadian government and military played key roles in overthrowing Gadhafi and highlighted those efforts as a significant victory both for Libya and Canadians.