U.S. Bolsters African Armies in Fight Against Militants

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BY HEIDI VOGT IN NAIROBI, KENYA, AND DREW HINSHAW IN DAKAR, SENEGAL
President Barack Obama is arriving in Africa as the U.S. military footprint on the continent is growing, part of a low-profile campaign to help counter al Qaeda-linked groups threatening several African countries.
From the Senegalese coast to the South African desert to the Ugandan jungles, tens of thousands of African troops are receiving training from American soldiers. The U.S. trained more than 66,000 African troops in 2011, up 67% from the year before, according to the latest figures from the U.S. State Department.
In 2011, nearly half of Benin’s roughly 5,000 armed personnel went through some level of U.S. training. …
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