Morocco part of new US counter-terrorism initiative in Africa

Morocco has been included in a new US counter-terrorism initiative to help efforts to prevent terrorists from establishing a foothold in Africa, a US diplomatic source in Senegal announced.

The "Trans-Saharan Counter-terrorism Initiative" will be officially kicked off in June in Senegal with manoeuvres called "Exercise Flintlock 2005." It builds on the PanSahel initiative, which began in 2003, to prevent terrorists from setting up safe havens in Africa.

The new program would be better funded, an annual US$ 100 million over 5 years, and have a wider scope, adding Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal and Nigeria to the original four countries included in the Pan Sahel Initiative, said the source.

Despite successes, the Pan Sahel Initiative was constrained from its inception by limited funding (US$ 6.5 million annually) and a limited focus.

The Defense Department would continue to focus on military operations, and other US government agencies would be involved in the program, the source explained. The US Agency for International Development, for example, would address educational initiatives; the State Department, airport security; and the Department of Treasury, efforts to tighten up money-handling controls in the region.

Under the first Pan Sahel Initiative, US forces trained and equipped six light infantry companies in Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger in skills needed to help secure the region's vast border areas.