The Islamic State group is increasingly moving into Africa following defeats in Iraq and Syria, Senate Armed Services Committee members said Thursday following a classified briefing on an attack on U.S. troops by an ISIS-affiliated group in Niger.
The shift will require a continued U.S. presence on the continent, the members said, and some on the committee, such as Chairman Sen. John McCain, called for increased military funding to better equip forces there.
“The more we succeed on the Middle East, the more we are going to see the snakes run to Africa and we’ve got to be prepared to advise and assist the nations there that are willing to work with us,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said.
Military officials gave a classified briefing to senators on the latest details of the ambush on Oct. 4 that killed four soldiers who were on a reconnaissance mission with Nigerian forces.
U.S. Africa Command is investigating the incident and many questions remain unanswered, such as why the body of Sgt. La David Johnson was not found for two days and why the Special Forces soldiers waited an a hour after the firefight began to request backup.
The U.S. Army advisers were in the country to help Niger against Islamic terrorist groups. The mission to a local village was not judged at the time to be risky.
“There is no doubt that there is a rising terrorist threat in West Africa and indeed that threat may be growing with the fall of Mosul, the fall of Raqqa,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “So I have no doubt that there will be a continued need for U.S. military presence in Africa because of the proliferation of radical Islamic terrorists with the stated intention of murdering Americans.”
McCain also said “there is no doubt” the fight against the Islamic State is now moving to Africa and that the U.S. needs to remove caps on defense spending to counter it.
“Stop sequestration so we can arm, train and equip these young people who are fighting,” McCain said.
McCain and other senators mentioned recent Armed Service testimony by Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, who heads Africa Command, who said that only about 20 percent-30 percent of his mission needs are being funded as evidence that Congress should take action.
“The tragic outcome of this incident in my view can be attributed to lack of support in intelligence and other resources that are necessary,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said.
Blumenthal called for more funding of intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance operations in Africa, which would likely mean more drones.
“The overall question about sufficient resources remains very much at the forefront of my thinking,” he said. “Clearly, there needs to be reinforced resources, particularly in intelligence if we are to continue the commitment to Africa.”
