Christopher A. Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, paid a rare visit to sub-Saharan Africa this week to discuss counterterrorism strategies with regional partners at a time when both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are gaining momentum on the continent.
For several years now, groups like ISIS, like Al Qaeda, have considered Africa very fertile ground. Indeed, U.S. intelligence officials estimate that Al Shabab in Somalia has roughly 7,000 to 12,000 members and annual income - including from taxing or extorting civilians - of about $120 million, making it the largest and wealthiest Qaeda affiliate in the world.
Shabab is in many ways one of the most menacing foreign terrorist organizations out there, Mr. Wray said.
At the same time, groups in West Africa that have declared allegiance to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are on the march. Military coups have toppled civilian-led governments in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger.
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