US-led military exercises get underway with African nations

Senegal's Thies military base hosted an opening ceremony for the US-led Flintock 2020 counter-terrorism exercise on Tuesday.More than 1,500 service members from the armies of 34 African and partner nations are participating in the exercise being held in both Mauritania and Senegal this year.

The training, organised by the United States Africa Command, takes place as the US seeks to reassess its presence in West Africa amid discussions of a possible drawdown seeking to bolster European participation

The once-stable Burkina Faso saw a significant increase of violent extremism in 2015. Since then, jihadists have crossed the border from Mali and pushed into territories in the north and east, as regional and international militaries race to contain the threat.

For Nigeria, which has battled threats from Boko Haram and Islamic State for several years, these training are an opportunity to collaborate and share experiences with other countries.