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"NIAMEY, NIGER - Even as Islamic State group fighters flee the Middle East and cause fear across Africa's Sahel region it is al-Qaida that poses the more serious long-term threat, the U.S. military's special operations commander in Africa said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual U.S. counter-terror exercise to train West African special forces, Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks pointed to last month's deadly attack on the army headquarters and heavily guarded French Embassy in Burkina Faso that was claimed by an al-Qaida-linked group in neighboring Mali.
It was evidence of a trasition away from attacks on "soft" targets such as hotels, he said Thursday, and further proof that West Africa's multiple extremist groups continue to push into new areas of the Sahel.
"I believe al-Qaida has a more disciplined approach to developing infrastructure across Africa, north Africa, the Sahel," he said. "They are taking a patient approach to gaining ground in influence over organizations that are already there and co-opting local and regional grievances and turning it to their own devices."
At the same time, "we are mindful of, very concerned about, the possibility of returned foreign fighters coming out of the Middle East" as the Islamic State group collapses, he said.
No one knows how many Islamic State group fighters may have returned to West Africa."
"The current threat largely comes from local fighters who have declared their allegiance."
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