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US Ponders Cutting Military Forces in Africa; Allies Worry

Associated Press

   DAKAR - As extremist violence grows across Africa, the United States is
   considering reducing its military presence on the continent, a move
   that worries its international partners who are working to strengthen
   the fight in the tumultuous Sahel region.
   The timing is especially critical in the Sahel, the vast arid region
   south of the Sahara Desert, where militants with links to al-Qaida and
   the Islamic State group have carried out increased attacks in the past
   six months. In Niger and Mali, soldiers have been ambushed and at times
   overpowered by hundreds of extremist gunmen on motorcycles. More than
   500,000 people have been displaced by violence in Burkina Faso.

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