More U.S. troops could be heading to Africa following the collapse of the ISIS caliphate

[TomSea]

A bit surprising to see this:

More U.S. troops could be heading to Africa following the collapse of the ISIS caliphate
By David Nath, Lucas Tomlinson | Fox News

As both a candidate and commander-in-chief, President Trump put an emphasis on ending America's involvement in conflicts overseas, especially in Syria and Afghanistan. But the reality has been more complicated; following the collapse of the ISIS caliphate, there are fears the terror group will spread instability to other areas, including Africa. And those fears have the Pentagon re-focusing on what has largely been a forgotten continent that's never gotten the lion's share of resources or funding for anti-terror operations.

General Thomas Waldhauser is the outgoing commander of U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, which is currently running 20 different anti-terror operations involving nearly 6,000 troops. He says there are no plans for a permanent U.S. military footprint on the continent, but says "we do need facilities, as I say, to allow us to mitigate the whole concept of time and space, to allow our forces to get closer to a problem as it develops. This will allow us to get there quicker."

The Pentagon is also warning not to expect a full-scale shift from deployments in Afghanistan to those in Africa, but they're now putting more of a focus on anti-terror operations in countries like Nigeria, Somalia, and Niger, where ongoing violence and a lack of resources have helped de-stabilize local governments. And some lawmakers are worried those conditions could create the perfect breeding ground for militant groups. On a recent trip to Ivory Coast, Senator Lindsey Graham encouraged investment in both infrastructure and security in Africa, saying "this continent has many challenges but many opportunities that are under threat. I fear what has happened in the Mideast is coming to Africa."

Read more at: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/more-u-s-troops-could-be-heading-to-africa-following-the-collapse-of-the-isis-caliphate