|
 DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - Military chiefs of nine African countries pledged Wednesday to work with U.S. forces to prevent the spread of terrorism in the Sahara desert region.
Since the rise of al-Qaida, security experts have worried that the Sahara's wide open spaces and porous borders could serve as a haven for terrorist groups, much the same way Afghanistan once acted as a terrorist incubator.
"The nations represented here have a common goal of reducing the ability of violent extremists to harm or kill innocent civilians," Gen. William Ward, the deputy commander of U.S. forces in Europe, said at a conference in Senegal's capital.
|