“I believe al-Qaida has a more disciplined approach to developing infrastructure across Africa, north Africa, the Sahel,” he said. No one knows how many Islamic State group fighters may have returned to West Africa. A U.S. investigation into the ambush, which was claimed by fighters linked to the Islamic State group, has not yet been released. U.S. special forces intentionally have a “light footprint” in a region where countries may not want to have more, he added, calling the approach sustainable and affordable. The threats include al-Qaida-linked fighters in Mali and Burkina Faso, Islamic State group-affiliated fighters in Niger, Mali and Nigeria and the Nigeria-based Boko Haram.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 13, 2018 07:52 UTC