The US army will withdraw hundreds of troops conducting counterterrorism operations across Africa over the next several years, the Pentagon has said. Currently, about 7,200 US military personnel are based in dozens of African countries. Counter-terrorism (also spelt counterterrorism) incorporates the practice, military…
The US army will withdraw hundreds of troops conducting counterterrorism operations across Africa over the next several years, the Pentagon has said.
Currently, about 7,200 US military personnel are based in dozens of African countries.
Background
Counter-terrorism incorporates the practice, military tactics, techniques, and strategy that government, military, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or prevent terrorism. Counter-terrorism strategies include attempts to support the counter financing of terrorism.
If terrorism is part of a broader insurgency, counter-terrorism may employ counter-insurgency measures. The United States Armed Forces use the term foreign internal defence for programs that support other countries in attempts to suppress insurgency, lawlessness, or subversion or to reduce the conditions under which these threats to security may develop.
The U.S. passed the USA PATRIOT Act after the September 11 attacks, as well as a range of other legislation and executive orders relating to national security. The Department of Homeland Security was established to consolidate domestic security agencies to coordinate anti-terrorism, as well as national response to major natural disasters and accidents.
In February 2017, sources claimed that the Trump administration intends to rename and revamp the U.S. government program Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) to solely focus on Islamist extremism.
Analysis
Currently, about 7,200 US military personnel are based in dozens of African nations, with notable footprints in countries such as Somalia, Nigeria and Libya.
The US army will withdraw hundreds of troops conducting counterterrorism operations across Africa over the next several years, the Pentagon has said, in a move that comes amid efforts to prioritise resources “for long-term competition with China and Russia”.
Commander Candice Tresch, a Pentagon spokesperson, said on Thursday that the existing figure would be reduced by about 10 per cent over the next few years. Tresch did not specify which countries would see a drawdown but said the cuts would leave “counter-violent extremist organisation” activities largely untouched in several countries, including Somalia, Djibouti and Libya. In other parts of the continent, including West Africa, the emphasis would shift from “tactical assistance to advising, assisting, liaising and sharing intelligence”, Tresch added.
A US official, speaking to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity, said the reduction of troops would likely take place over three years and could include countries such as Kenya, Cameroon and Mali.
The role of the US military on the African continent has received increased attention after an ambush last year in Niger, which was claimed by the local Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) affiliate, killed four US soldiers and several members of Nigerien partner forces.
The announcement by the Pentagon comes as it works on implementing President Donald Trump’s sweeping National Defence Strategy, which highlights a new era of “Great Power competition” with Moscow and Beijing.
Counterpoint
The Trump Administration’s National Counter Terrorism policy stumbles, however, when it tries to reconcile sound counterterrorism policy with the president’s clear foreign policy preferences. Despite littering the document with the president’s quotations and emphasizing that this will be an “America First” counterterrorism policy that involves secure borders, the authors are too smart to embrace Trump’s policy utterances too seriously. They note that “America First does not mean America alone” and stress the importance of foreign governments, who should “take the lead whenever possible.”
The report also tries to walk a fine line regarding domestic terrorist groups. Even though the report acknowledges that non-Islamist domestic terrorism is on the rise, right-wing groups like neo-Nazis are classified along with animal rights organizations as a domestic threat. The political anger in the United States that has taken centre stage in recent weeks and the federal law enforcement prioritization that emphasizes Islamists over right-wing groups are ignored.
Assessment
Our assessment is that the new counterterrorism policy is the latest effort from the Trump administration which puts the USA above everything, including military allies. The first revamp of the counterterrorism policy since 2011 does not fully address key non-Islamic, non-radicalised domestic security issues. We believe that Washington’s reduction of boots on the ground in key terror-prone areas like West Africa will leave a void of sorts which will have to be filled by either domestic security agencies or a more coordinated multinational assistance force. We also feel that by limiting their presence, the US is missing the chance to root out radical extremism in Africa before it spreads in the region.
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