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yesterday

US Africa Command Chief Warns Expanding Sahel Militants Could Reach US Homeland

Gen. Michael Langley said that US base closures in Niger have weakened extremist surveillance just as China boosts military training in Africa, prompting a shift toward empowering local forces.

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Gen. Michael Langley of the Marine Corps and head of the U.S. Africa Command said Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a terrorist organization based in northern Africa, and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), a Mali-based group, have expanded in Africa and could be looking to do the same in the United States. (AP FILE)
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Overview

  • Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has tripled in size since 2022 and now operates across Mali, Burkina Faso and parts of Niger, while Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin has grown fourfold, mainly in Burkina Faso.
  • Langley described the Sahel as the epicenter of global terrorism and warned militants are targeting the West African coast to diversify funding and eventually strike overseas.
  • The 2024 US withdrawal from Niger after a military coup has disrupted on-the-ground monitoring and diminished America’s counterterrorism foothold in the region.
  • China’s expanding military education programs for African soldiers are viewed as an attempt to replicate US training and fill gaps left by departing Western forces.
  • The Pentagon is refocusing on long-term partnerships to build African militaries’ capacity to lead regional security and counterterrorism operations.