US Counterterrorism strategy Africa Sahel praised by a security expert for intelligence-led operations targeting extremist networks in West Africa
The US 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy has been commended for its focus on disrupting terrorist networks across Africa, especially in the Sahel.
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In a paper tilted: The US 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy and Its Implications for Nigeria and the Sahel, a security expert, Lieutenant Colonel Freddie Grounds (Retired), said the move represents a significant development in American security policy, reflecting both lessons learned from past interventions and the current and rapidly shifting geography of global extremist threats.
He said rather than relying on previously favoured large-scale deployments, the revised U.S. strategy emphasises partnerships, intelligence-driven operations, and capacity-building.
He stated: “Africa, particularly Nigeria and the Sahel, has emerged as a central focus, given the persistence of violent extremist organisations such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and al-Qaeda affiliates that exploit fragile governance and porous borders across the region.”
He said the US, in demonstrating its commitment to Africa, deployed in early 2026 some 200 U.S. military personnel to Nigeria to carry out intelligence sharing, training and advisory capacity building operations, under Nigerian command authority.
He added: “In early May Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, undertook a three-day working visit to the United States. During the visit the NSA held a series of high-level engagements with senior officials of the U.S. government, further reinforcing the partnership between the two nations. Meanwhile the three-weeks long ‘Exercise African Lion 2026’, an annual US led multinational military exercise in Africa, involving over 5,600 troops from more than 40 nations, including African partners, NATO allies, and US forces, focusing on multi-domain operations across North and West Africa, has recently concluded.”
According to the expert, at the heart of the new US Counterterrorism Strategy is a deeper commitment to intelligence sharing and partner-force development.
Hear him: “The US Government seeks to provide actionable intelligence to African governments, enabling them to disrupt extremist networks before they can establish operational bases in their countries. This approach reflects a recognition that local African ownership and sustainability are critical to long-term success. The US also pledges to protect vulnerable communities, including Christians and other groups frequently targeted by extremist violence, emphasising the critical but often overlooked human rights element of counterterrorism.”
He said Nigeria occupies a pivotal role in this new strategy.
“As a frontline state in the Lake Chad Basin, Nigeria faces persistent threats from Boko Haram and ISWAP, whose operations extend into Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. The US has deepened cooperation with Nigeria since 2025 as illustrated by recent high-level meetings between Nigerian officials and American leadership. This partnership has already produced measurable results, including US airstrikes against ISWAP in late December 2025 which was assessed to have killed between 150-200 militants and destroyed several Islamic State-linked camps in Sokoto State, and was acknowledged as the first American combat action inside Nigeria. Beyond military collaboration, Nigeria has adopted a whole-of-government approach, combining kinetic operations with community engagement, deradicalisation programs, and economic initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of extremism.”
Grounds said the Counterterrorism Strategy also links Nigeria’s efforts to the broader Sahel, where continued regional instability in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has created fertile ground for extremist expansion.
He commended the Nigeria-US Joint Working Group, a bilateral security and governance framework established in late 2025, which seeks to coordinate intelligence, border security, and counterterrorism aid across the region, recognizing that insurgencies in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin are interconnected and that such extremist groups exploit weak governance, corruption, and marginalized communities, blurring the lines between terrorism and organized crime.
He said this overlap with transnational crime, including arms trafficking and smuggling, complicates security responses and requires a regional approach.
The paper reads: “The outcomes of the Africa Forward Summit 2026, which concluded in Kenya this week, provide an important complement to the new Counterterrorism Strategy. African leaders from across the continent pledged to intensify efforts against terrorism, cybercrime, arms trafficking, and organized crime, precisely the same threats which are identified in the US Strategy. The Summit’s emphasis on sustainable financing for AU peace operations and stronger UN-AU cooperation under Resolution 2719 aligns well with Washington’s push for burden-sharing and regional ownership. Calls for UN Security Council reform highlight Africa’s determination to shape global governance structures, ensuring that the continent’s counterterrorism strategies are not imposed by external actors but co-designed and implemented in partnership with African states.
“Equally significant are African-led regional mechanisms such as the Nouakchott Process, launched in 2013, which has created a framework for intelligence-sharing and joint operations among Sahelian states, helping to counter cross-border extremist movements.
“Similarly, the Accra Initiative in West Africa which has strengthened cooperation among coastal states like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin to prevent the spillover of Sahelian insurgencies. These initiatives clearly demonstrate Africa’s capacity to build its own security architecture, complementing US efforts and reinforcing the Africa Forward Summit’s call for African-led solutions.
“Despite these advances, challenges remain. Analysts warn of sovereignty concerns, cautioning that Nigeria must balance cooperation with the US against risks of subordinating its strategic autonomy to US calculations. While American support strengthens Nigeria’s capacity, it also raises questions about dependency and the long-term sustainability of external assistance. Moreover, governance deficits across the Sahel undermine counterterrorism efforts and without reforms that enhance legitimacy, accountability, and resilience, military gains risk being temporary.
“In summary, the US 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy represents a pragmatic, recalibrated approach to global security, recognising that instability in Nigeria and the Sahel carries consequences that extend far beyond the region, from refugee flows to the spread of extremist ideology”.
Emphasising intelligence, partnership-driven security, and local capacity-building, the strategy positions Nigeria as a frontline state central to stabilising West Africa, while acknowledging that the interconnected nature of Sahelian instability demands regional solutions.
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Its effectiveness will depend not only on military cooperation but also on governance reforms, sustainable financing, and the ability of local governments to deliver tangible improvements in security and development goals reinforced by the Africa Forward Summit outcomes and embedded within African-led frameworks such as the Nouakchott Process and Accra Initiative, which lend the strategy both depth and legitimacy.
