Africa has become the “epicenter of global terrorism,” and it will take “sustained pressure” to address the threats, U.S. Africa Command leader Gen. Dagvin Anderson told lawmakers on Tuesday.Anderson’s testimony in front of the House Armed Services Committee coincided with a series of recent joint U.S.-Nigerian operations targeting Islamic State fighters. The Nigerian military said on Tuesday that the joint strikes had killed 175 ISIS members, including Abu Bilal al Minuki, whom Anderson called “the most active and impactful terrorist in the world.”His death “disrupts ISIS operations around the world, but only sustained pressure and multi-dimensional approach with the support of partners united by mutual security interests can address this complex problem,” Anderson explained.
“The Nigerians have been instrumental throughout the last several months, developing the target, helping us with the intelligence, and providing support in order to do that. So, it could not have been done by our own forces that we needed to do that in conjunction with them,” Anderson said. “We are investing a significant amount of effort in order to build those relationships and build that credibility. The operation over the weekend built a lot of that credibility of what the U.S. can bring, and that those unique capabilities can be brought to bear in conjunction with our partners.”
