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Originally Posted by BMT
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Hopefully at least some on intelligence gathering, since I haven't encountered many SMEs who really have a handle on the relationships, allegiances and motivations of the various tribes and other groups in the region. And the few I've known who were real experts generally don't like the US military.
Certainly training the locals has some value, and that is a good part of SF's raison d'etre, but the value is probably limited. From what I've heard from French soldiers and seen in the videos posted by the French MoD and French journalists, many of the US- and French-trained Malian troops seem content to let the French do most of the fighting there.
But maybe some of the guys here have more direct experience and a better perspective. My mother was a missionary and I've been involved in matters pertaining to Africa since I was a small child, but my recent experience is quite lacking.
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