Terrorism in Africa

The Islamist terror ideology is spreading on the African continent. While this has been happening over the last decade, the United States doesn't have an appropriate counterterrorism strategy to address the threat, which leaves the homeland and U.S. interests vulnerable. There is no doubt that the U.S. is behind the curve in taking threats from terror groups in Africa seriously. We have seen on too many occasions that al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Africa will attack American and Western interests when they see an opening. This was true in Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, and Kenya. Documents received from bin Laden's Abbottabad compound show how the dead terror leader was looking for operatives in Africa to carry out Western attacks. We saw this materialize on December 25, 2009, when a Nigerian national, Abdulmutallab, was directed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to carry out an attack on a U.S.-bound plane. Now we are seeing clear evidence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS, seeking to expand partnerships with Islamist terror groups in Africa. Boko Haram in Nigeria, terror groups in Egypt and Libya, and certain factions within al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have pledged allegiance to ISIS leadership.