WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) — The top U.S. military leader for Africa said three extremist groups based in Africa are trying to reach an alliance to coordinate attacks on Western targets.Gen. Carter F. Ham, chief officer at Africa Command, said terrorist groups in East Africa, northern Africa and Nigeria “have very explicitly and publicly voiced an intent to target Westerners, and the U.S. specifically,” The New York Times reported Wednesday.
However, Ham stressed none of the three organizations — al-Shabaab in Somalia, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb throughout the Sahel region of northern Africa and Boko Haram in northern Nigeria — has shown the ability to mount significant attacks beyond their borders.
“I have questions about their capability to do so,” Ham said, adding he is concerned about “the voiced intent of the three organizations to more closely collaborate and synchronize their efforts.”
“Each of those three independently presents a significant threat not only in the nations in which they primarily operate, but regionally — and I think they present a threat to the United States,” Ham told reporters.
Defense Department officials said the three groups traditionally strike local government targets and have ideological differences, but may be working toward “an alliance of convenience,” the Times said.
Officials said they consider the regional al-Qaida affiliates pose increasing threats to U.S. interests as al-Qaida’s traditional leadership in Pakistan becomes less capable of carrying out significant attacks, especially since the death of founder Osama bin Laden in May.
Ham said the pending withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and reductions in American troops in Afghanistan could make more Special Operations forces available to Africa Command for deployment as to nations on the continent.
“What we seek to enable are African solutions to African security challenges,” he said.
Since taking over the command six months ago, Ham said African leaders haven’t expressed resentment over the American presence, Stars and Stripes reported.
“We keep getting asked to do more and more and more, and go to more places,” he said. “More exercises, more military-to-military engagement, more and more requests for interchanges, and I don’t recall anybody saying, ‘We don’t want you to come here anymore.'”
