Washington — US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, underlined, Monday in Washington, the importance of the Africa Focus Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, co-chaired by Morocco, the United States, Italy and Saudi Arabia, in the fight against terrorism on the African continent.

Speaking at the opening of the 11th ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daech, held at the State Department headquarters in the presence of minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, the US top diplomat noted that the terrorist group Daesh is increasing its efforts to expand its operations outside the Middle East, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

"To tackle this growing threat, the United States, Italy, Morocco formed the coalition's Africa Focus Group in 2021," Blinken pointed out at this meeting attended by delegations from 87 countries, adding that Saudi Arabia joined this Focus Group last year.

In this regard, the US official highlighted the effectiveness of the operations carried out by the Focus Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh in Africa.

The efforts made by the Africa Focus Group "helped African partners better align and coordinate to support civilian-led counterterrorism operations" in Sub-saharan Africa.

These efforts are particularly relevant at a time when "in sub-Saharan Africa, ISIS affiliates have gained ground, compounding the threat already present from existing militant groups," said Blinken.

Three years after its creation, the Africa Focus Group has become an essential component of the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh in Africa, while current needs and emerging trends require the reinforcement of this dynamic.