The US-backed AFRICOM has warned that the Islamic State and Al-Qaida terrorist groups are gradually taking over the West African region after being displaced in Syria and Iraq.

The Commander of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, Maj. Gen. Davin Anderson, while speaking during a virtual media briefing with journalists on Tuesday noted that the extremist groups have begun deploying strategies to re-establish themselves in the region and expand further in the continent without drawing attention.

He said Al-Qaida had expanded in Mali and had moved into northern Burkina Faso, where they attacked infrastructure, took out local governance and security forces, and are now controlling the local economy and exerting control over the population.

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