US flags Nigeria, Lake Chad as key terror battlefronts in 2026 security strategy

The United States has identified Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin as major theatres in its 2026 counterterrorism strategy, warning that extremist groups operating across Africa now pose an increasing threat to global security.

In the newly released strategy document, the US government said terrorist organisations displaced from Iraq and Syria had shifted their operations to parts of Africa and Central Asia, taking advantage of weak governance, porous borders and ungoverned territories.

The document listed West Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan and Somalia among regions witnessing a resurgence of extremist violence following the collapse of ISIS strongholds in the Middle East.

According to the strategy, remnants of the Islamic State and affiliated jihadist movements have re-established operational networks across the continent.

“President Trump unleashed the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen, and within a matter of weeks, a Jihadi insurgency which controlled vast territories across Iraq and Syria was gone,” the document stated.

It added that surviving elements of the terrorist group later relocated to Africa and Central Asia where they exploited fragile security environments.

“As a result, today, there are parts of Africa where a resurgent terror threat is the reality.

“These include in West Africa, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan, and of course Somalia, where parts of ISIS have re-established themselves and Al Shabaab maintains its tribal-based Islamist insurgency,” the report said.

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The strategy said Washington’s priority in Africa would be to stop extremist groups from establishing operational bases capable of launching attacks against American interests and allies.

The US government pledged continued cooperation with African governments battling insurgency through intelligence sharing, counterterrorism training and support for partner security forces.

“We will continue to work together with governments threatened by groups like ISIS and al Qaeda affiliates who threaten us as well, and assist them with actionable intelligence and CT partner-force development until our shared foes no longer pose a serious threat to either them or us,” the document stated.

The report also said the protection of Christians targeted by terrorist organisations would remain a central priority of the administration.

While reaffirming security cooperation with African states, the strategy indicated that the US would maintain a reduced military presence on the continent and instead encourage regional governments to assume greater responsibility for counterterrorism operations.

According to the document, Washington plans to rebuild bilateral counterterrorism partnerships across Africa while relying more heavily on intelligence collaboration and coordinated regional responses.

The strategy also criticised the foreign policy approach of Joe Biden, former US President claiming that previous counterterrorism measures weakened global efforts against extremist groups and enabled terrorist organisations to regroup in parts of Africa.

Referencing Nigeria specifically, the document praised recent actions taken by President Donald Trump in response to attacks on Christians in the country.

“With the decisive action President Trump recently took in Nigeria, he made it clear that the slaughter of Christians will not go unchecked,” the report stated.

It further quoted Trump as saying on Christmas Day in 2025: “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”

The US maintained that it would continue operating with what it described as a “light military footprint” in Africa while expecting regional allies to shoulder more of the burden through intelligence sharing and joint security operations.

Despite the growing security concerns, the strategy said African countries possess “almost limitless potential” if governments are able to exercise effective territorial control and deny safe havens to extremist and terrorist organisations.