Indeed, U.S. intelligence gurus reckon Al Shabab in Somalia boasts a headcount of 7,000 to 12,000 members and rakes in about $120 million yearly, courtesy of taxing or shaking down civilians. This makes it the heftiest and richest Qaeda offshoot globally.
“Shabab is undoubtedly among the most formidable foreign terrorist outfits out there,” Mr. Wray articulated.
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Simultaneously, factions in West Africa pledging allegiance to Al Qaeda and ISIS are making headway. Military coups have dethroned civilian leaders in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The new honchos have ousted U.S. and French troops and, in some instances, invited Russian mercenaries to step in.
As a result, American officials are hustling to collaborate with coastal West African nations to combat a burgeoning extremist rebellion steadily drifting south.
This week, talks in Kenya and Nigeria between U.S. and African dignitaries, Mr. Wray stated, zeroed in on mutual interests and countering shared threats.
“Tackling threats from groups like Shabab and ISIS is beyond what any single agency or even one government can handle solo,” he stated.
Mr. Wray’s trip to Kenya—the first by an F.B.I. head in 15 years, insiders disclosed—follows President Biden’s recent hosting of Kenyan President William Ruto for a state dinner, pledging to elevate the country to a “major non-NATO ally.” This move marks the White House’s resolve to fortify ties with the East African nation amidst a race with Russia and China.
The F.B.I. has partnered closely with Kenyans since the September 11, 2001, attacks to hunt down Qaeda agents. In 2020, the F.B.I. and State Department assisted Kenya in forming a terrorism task force akin to those in major U.S. cities. According to the F.B.I., it was the bureau’s first joint terrorism task force outside America.
The F.B.I. also stations agents at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, poring over terrorism cases and other crimes.
In West Africa’s Sahel region, U.S. officials are revising their strategy to counter an insurgency fueled by local gripes. Battles over land, political exclusion, and other homegrown issues have bolstered militant ranks more than any zealous embrace of extremist dogma.
“Examining the wider Western Africa region, we remain concerned about instability and its potential to empower terrorist factions to capitalize on the chaos,” said Mr. Wray, the first F.B.I. director to visit Nigeria.
“That’s why our collaboration with partners in Nigeria and other places is crucial to maintain our vigilance,” he remarked.
In Africa, ISIS and Al Qaeda offshoots have focused their assaults rather than targeting Europe or the U.S. Nonetheless, Mr. Wray highlighted a case of a Shabab operative nabbed a few years ago for plotting a plane hijacking aimed at a 9/11-style attack in the States.
“Besides threats to Westerners and our interests in Africa, we remain highly alert to their potential intentions shifting at any time,” Mr. Wray warned. “So although these are ‘foreign’ threats, folks in the U.S. shouldn’t view them as distant issues.”
Adam Goldman chipped in with reporting.
