Matt Gaetz speaks to the press outside the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 30, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The Florida Republican is also requesting testimony from Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee, assistant to the US-AID administrator for conflict prevention and stabilization Robert Jenkins, and Defense's director of counternarcotics and stabilization policy Joseph McMenamin, regarding policies and strategies that Gaetz believes compromised the safety of U.S. service members in Africa.
Gaetz's report, which included interviews with U.S. service members, claimed the Biden administration is "actively suppressing intelligence reports" about U.S. military relations in Niger, and that troops are being "held hostage" without access to mail, medical supplies, equipment and other materials.
"With a military junta in charge – who detests our presence and considers us unserious and predatory – the situation seems to be setting the groundwork for catastrophic diplomatic collapse like we saw during the 2012 Benghazi attack," the report said. "Additionally, these troops are already running short on necessary, life-saving supplies, such as blood and medications."
Though Gaetz claimed victory amid the administration's announcement last weekend that they plan to pull troops from the African nation, a Biden administration official told Fox News Digital the "decision did not have any sort of connection to Representative Gaetz."
US MILITARY BEGINS PROCESS TO REMOVE TROOPS FROM TROUBLED AFRICAN NATION
F-16s fly over Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The planned departure, which some experts view as a blow to Washington and its allies in the region in terms of staging security operations in the Sahel, comes as U.S. officials said they were trying to find a new military agreement.
Niger plays a central role in the U.S. military’s operations in Africa’s Sahel region, an area on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Washington is concerned about the spread of jihadi violence, as local groups have pledged allegiance to al Qaeda and Islamic State groups.
Niger is home to a major U.S. air base in the city of Agadez, about 550 miles from the country's capital of Niamey. The air base has been used for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations. The U.S. has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s military since it began operations there in 2013.
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A U.S. defense official confirmed the beginning stages of the removal process in a statement to Fox News Digital on Saturday, saying discussions between the U.S. and Niger for the "orderly removal" of troops had started.
"We can confirm the beginning of discussions between the U.S. and Niger for the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country," the official said.
The Associated Press and Fox News' Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gaetz-urges-investigative-house-hearing-failed-foreign-policy-endangered-us-troops