ISIS moves operations to West Africa, US warns

The US government said parts of Africa, including West Africa, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan and Somalia, have witnessed a resurgence of terrorist activities following the collapse of ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria. 

In its 2026 counterterrorism strategy, the US identified Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin as critical fronts.

The document noted that remnants of the Islamic State and affiliated jihadist groups had relocated to Africa and Central Asia, exploiting ungoverned spaces and weak security structures.

According to the document: “President Trump unleashed the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen, and within a matter of weeks, a Jihadi insurgency which controlled vast territories across Iraq and Syria was gone.

“Subsequently, the surviving remnants of the world’s most dangerous terrorist group of the modern age were forced to relocate to Africa and Central Asia, in turn exploiting the ungoverned spaces there.

“As a result, today, there are parts of Africa where a resurgent terror threat is the reality. These include in West Africa, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan, and of course Somalia, where parts of ISIS have re-established themselves and Al Shabaab maintains its tribal-based Islamist insurgency.”

The US said its major objective in Africa would be to prevent extremist groups from establishing operational bases capable of launching attacks against American interests.

“We will continue to work together with governments threatened by groups like ISIS and al Qaeda affiliates who threaten us as well, and assist them with actionable intelligence and CT partner-force development until our shared foes no longer pose a serious threat to either them or us,” it added.

The document also declared that the protection of Christians targeted by terrorist groups would remain a key priority of the administration.

According to the strategy, Washington would continue rebuilding bilateral counterterrorism relations with African governments while reducing direct military deployments on the continent.

“We will continue to work together with governments threatened by groups like ISIS and al Qaeda affiliates who threaten us as well, and assist them with actionable intelligence and CT partner-force development,” the document stated.