With US Special Forces Heading To Syria, A Look At Their Role In Africa

06:31

November 04, 2015

President Barack Obama speaks following a meeting with top military officials about the military campaign against the Islamic State at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, July 6, 2015. Obama said the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State jihadists was "intensifying" its campaign against the group's base in Syria, especially against its top leaders. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

As President Obama sends a few dozen U.S. Special Operations forces to Syria, it's worth noting that there are already more than 1,000 Special Operations troops helping African countries fight terrorism.

The officer who leads that effort, Brigadier General Donald Bolduc, said this week at the Defense One Summit that the Syria mission could be informed by what his forces are doing in Africa.

Molly O'Toole, a politics reporter with Defense One, speaks with Here & Now's Robin Young about what Bolduc's announcement means for the U.S.'s military involvement in Syria.

Guest

Molly O'Toole, politics reporter for Defense One. She tweets @mollymotoole.

This segment aired on November 4, 2015.

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