Governor US Common says Islamic jihadist terrorism in Africa has increased tenfold in 26 years

first on fox – The head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) told Fox News Virtual that the number of Islamic jihadist terrorists in Africa has increased tenfold. U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, AFRICOM commander, sat in sickbay for an exclusive digital interview with Fox News Virtual ahead of the Pace African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Gaborone, Botswana, on Sunday.

Langley, in a wide-ranging interview, highlighted blackmail from China, Russia and Iran, and reported an apparent shift in coverage of the US military in West Africa, particularly after the Niger settlement, which would have required 1,000 US personnel to leave. . ,

On Islamic terror, Overall said, “We have been monitoring and identifying signals and warnings for many years. Just for the sake of statistics, in 2008 only 4% of Islamic jihadists on the global scene were on the African continent. Now that The number is up to 40%, therefore, to be able to provide signals and warnings, monitor, and respond, executing AFRICOM’s mission, to protect the homeland.”

He said AFRICOM is “charged with executing our mission, which extends to deterring threats, gaining reach and influence, and being able to respond to crises on the African continent.”

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Langley told Fox Information Virtual about his concerns over Chinese operations in Africa. “We see the threat the People’s Republic of China poses, we know they exploit whenever possible and coerce when necessary, when they first engage across the continent through the Belt and Road Initiative.”

“But sometimes they have aspirations of military capability and capacity. They already have a base in Doraleh, Djibouti. Time will tell what their overall aspirations are. Will it be power projection, or will it be air denial in defense ?We don’t know. Right now, it’s to combat piracy. So we’re monitoring all the time what the PRC’s overall intentions are in the strategic area.’

AFRICOM’s commander shifted his attention to Russia. “Yes, over the past few years, we saw Wagner’s activities encroaching on many African countries and then sowing the seeds of disinformation, while trying to become the preferred security partner in many countries in the Sahel, up to the Central African Republic and in the North “To Libya.”

“So through their disinformation campaigns,” Overall continued, “it has evolved into the sponsorship of the Russian MOD (Ministry of Defense) after the demise of Yevgeny Prigozhin. So we’re looking at it, and we’re monitoring it on a full basis. “to identify what the overall strategic imperatives or aspirations of the Russian Federation are.”

He believes that Russia is making vigorous use of disinformation within African operations to strengthen its position on the continent, and says that this must be countered. “What the US needs to do is we need to enhance our information operations. We need to be able to partner with our African partners, particularly with a ‘whole of government’ approach, to match our assurance operations. need to be able to, while addressing some of their challenges, challenges that range from climate change to violent extremist organizations, being able to meet our shared values ​​and shared objectives of stability and security that we have overall The value proposition is there.”

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“I think our assurance work and what we offer holistically, in the State Department and diplomacy, in USAID and development, in the Department of Defense and in partnerships and capacity building with other security forces, is the whole lasting solution, “Especially when we’re talking about extremist organizations.”

When pressed on Iran, which is said to be particularly active in mining in countries as diverse as Niger and Sudan, Langley would only say that “we are closely monitoring Iran’s activities.” Not long ago, resources claimed that Iran was exporting, or planning to export, uranium from Niger. Uranium is also too old for the creation of non-violent nuclear energy, but it is known as an important factor in the creation of nuclear weapons.

The US military was recently advised by Niger’s Russian-leaning military junta to remove about 1,000 personnel from the country. The US has two air bases in the country, where manned and unmanned aircraft were launching missions against terrorist groups like Nigeria’s Boko Haram.

After reportedly occasionally heated negotiations in the following months, the Pentagon said all US personnel in the country would walk off the job. “Regarding Niger, and our repositioning and moving our equipment and assets out there this year, we are on pace,” Langley noted, “I’m sure we’ll continue to reach those benchmarks.”

A Department of Defense (DoD) official confirmed to Fox Information Virtual that all US personnel will be out of Bottom 101 on the outskirts of Niger’s capital, Niamey, by mid-July. The Honorable said that all American citizens must have left Big Bottom 201 in Agadez by September 15.

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In Niger he stressed that “the safety of our troops is first and foremost.” Langley will also be hoping for “a responsible, orderly withdrawal that both the US government and the transitional government of the CNSP (military junta of Niger) agree upon.”

On May 19, DOD showed in a comment that both the US and Niger “established procedures to facilitate the entry and exit of US personnel, including overflight and landing clearance for military flights.”

When asked where the US staff group and their manned aircraft and drones would go from Niger, he appeared to worry about a change in policy. “As far as what we had at our Air Base 201, or 101, you know, that was based on the needs of the last decade.”

“Where we are going now, as far as our strategy calls for, is to double down on security cooperation activities such as Security Force Assistance Brigades, such as the State Partnership Program, or all the exercises that we do to be able to build “Partnership and capability.”

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Giving apparently untested details on US military strategy moving forward in Africa, Langley said, “As far as the overall adjustment of our strategy, our strategy overall is going to extend to the Sahel, to West Africa. Because it is threat-driven. We all know it will be African-led, so they have been specified.”

It is in Botswana at Pace Langley Africa Chiefs of Protection Convention. The US is co-hosting the development with Botswana, with participation from approximately 35 countries. He added, “This shows that this is going to be African-led and supported by the US, as we address major challenges and security challenges across the continent, not just in the Sahel, but in other places across the continent. “I am on a listening tour, but they will give their recommendations and put them up for discussion.”