US Considers Aid to Burkina Faso's Military Junta to Combat Jihadists and Violence in Coastal West Africa

The Biden administration is providing assistance to Burkina Faso's military junta to combat al Qaeda and Islamic State in West Africa, while avoiding violating US laws that prohibit most security aid to military regimes. The US has included Burkinabe commandos in American-led exercises, but excluded the country's top officer from an international gathering of defense chiefs after a military takeover last year. The Pentagon has stationed a team of US Green Berets in Burkina Faso's capital, but won't allow them to train local counterparts.