No Need to Understand the Conflict in Niger, Says the United States, Just Open Fire

Is the US is in Niger because of uranium? Partially, but not for the reason the you think. It has less to do with the procurement of uranium for the US and more to do with protecting those assets from falling into the hands of radicals because if those facilities fall into the hands of extremists it poses a threat in the form of dirty bombs. The US has had a presence in Niger since 2002, and the emphasis has always been counterterrorism. I suggest reading up on the Pan Sahel Initiative, Operation Enduring Freedom Trans Sahel, Operation N'Gaa aka Operation Bouclier (both translate to "Shield" in english), Operation Barkhane, and how Boko Haram, AQIM, and ISWAP are interconnected. After reading up on that background information you'll see who has what interests in Niger and how the article is completely wrong, deceptively portrays facts, and how the ambush on US troops did not involve "smugglers".

Actually I'm pretty sure the bigger reason they are there is to stop the spread of AQIM. We have forces in around 143 countries it is way bigger than a resource we have more than enough of here in the USA. It's due to the fact we are the only superpower in the world and are protecting our place and global interests.

Well, obviously.