AS TERROR THREAT EVOLVES, U.S. FORCES BEGIN FOCUSING ON WEST AND NORTH AFRICA
By Robert Burns The Associated Press 3/16/04 4:16 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Opening a new front in the war on terrorism, the United States has begun training and equipping armies in parts of Africa that U.S. officials see as an inviting refuge for terrorists as well as a long-term source of oil.
Soldiers of the Army's 10th Special Forces Group are training troops in Mali and Mauritania, on the fringes of the Sahara Desert. And Marines are preparing for missions in Niger and Chad.