U.S. spends millions on Africa counterterrorism

WASHINGTON -- Growing concerns about persistent terrorist threats from splintered al-Qaida groups across Africa have triggered an increase in U.S. military funding and more focus on a handful of African nations.

Already this year, the Pentagon has poured more than $82 million into counterterrorism assistance for six African countries. More than half of that has gone to Uganda, and much of the rest to Kenya, Burundi and Djibouti -- all key allies in the fight against the al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab in Somalia.

The assistance, according to the State Department's latest report on terrorism, may be starting to show some results in Somalia. But across Africa, the number of terrorist incidents increased by about 11.5 percent last year, including in Nigeria.

The new report comes as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is on a series of visits across the continent, including stops in Uganda and Kenya.

The two countries are part of AMISOM, the African Union peacekeeping force that has been battling al-Shabab militants and has succeeded in largely pushing them out of Mogadishu, Somalia, after years of raging war.

The Pentagon has increased surveillance and intelligence-sharing in Africa, sent teams of special operations forces and broadened training for African militaries. Al-Qaida-linked militant groups train and operate out of safe havens in often remote and underdeveloped regions of the continent.

The Pentagon has told Congress that military aid for Uganda includes more than $19 million for trucks, trailers, inflatable boats, weapons, communications equipment and combat training. While that aid is targeted for the Somalia fight, the United States is also sending more than $22 million worth of logistic support and supplies to Uganda to aid in the fight against warlord Joseph Kony's infamous Lord's Resistance Army.