WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is seeking $200 million in the 2017 budget for counterterrorism operations in Libya and other parts of North and West Africa as the Islamic State threat in the region continues to grow.
The new funding provides the first concrete indication of what the U.S. military may do to battle the threat, including expanded drone and surveillance flights, strikes and other operations. And it is the first time that the Pentagon has included a separate increase for operations against the Islamic State group in Africa.
There were no details on how the money would be spent. The $200 million is an overall increase in the department's war funding, including the ongoing effort in Afghanistan, and the airstrikes and training in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State.
