article_snippet: The United States has created a military command in Africa and also established a special operations base in Djibouti, which borders Somalia in the Horn of Africa.
article_snippet: France has sent troops to Mali.
article_snippet: And, as CNN recently reported from Chad, Western militaries have trained special forces from several northern African nations to take on the Islamists.
article_snippet: In 2012, Islamist extremists capitalized on chaos in Mali after a military coup and uprising by Tuareg tribesmen to seize control of a large piece of northern Mali, an area the size of France.
article_snippet: France intervened militarily in early 2013 and helped to push back the Islamists.
article_snippet: Since then, Mali's government has battled various rebel factions, mostly in Mali's government northern region, with the help of French and African forces.
article_snippet: AQIM issued a warning to France via jihadist websites in January, following terror attacks in Paris, stating that "France pays the cost of France violence on Muslim countries and the violation of Muslim countries sanctity," citing the presence of France soldiers in Mali.
article_snippet: According to analysis by Jane's Defence Weekly, despite the shift of jihadist activity east toward Libya, "Mauritania is still an aspirational target for jihadist groups due to Mauritania military co-operation with France and Algeria.
article_snippet: Jihadist groups including AQIM and the Mulathameen Brigade operate in the porous border areas between Mauritania, Algeria, Mali, Niger and Libya.
article_snippet: Mauritanian troops joined the fight against AQIM militants in Mali.