US War on Terror Feature: Preparing for Military Operations in Africa (Barnes/Perez)
Monday, December 10, 2012 at 10:40
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presses Algeria to join intervention in Mali, 29 October 2012
Military counterterrorism officials are seeking more capability to pursue extremist groups in Africa and elsewhere that they believe threaten the U.S., and the Obama administration is considering asking Congress to approve expanded authority to do it.
The move, according to administration and congressional officials, would be aimed at allowing U.S. military operations in Mali, Nigeria, Libya and possibly other countries where militants have loose or nonexistent ties to al Qaeda's Pakistan headquarters. Depending on the request, congressional authorization could cover the use of armed drones and special operations teams across a region larger than Iraq and Afghanistan combined, the officials said.