Highlights:
US President Barack Obama is proposing approximately $200 million in new military spending to help deal with the Islamist militants in West and North Africa in the budget rollouts for the next fiscal year.
Summary:
The increased funding comes at a significant time when the US and her allies are discussing on ways to halt the spread of the Islamic State from the safe haven in Libya elsewhere in Africa and especially the North and West Africa.
The $200 million is part of a larger counter Islamic State budget of $7.5 billion by the pentagon for the 2017 fiscal year.
The monies that have been put into the budget to address those threats in Africa are to be able to work with indigenous forces as well as partner forces to get at three particular threats (al Shabaab in the East, Boko Haram in the west and ISIS in the north) and others that might emerge.
The initial steps to roll out the Anti-ISIS campaign in Libya have been taken despite significant political hurdles owing to the presence of two governments in the country since the ouster and death of Muammar Gaddafi.
