Abayomi Azikiwe, PANW Editor, Featured on Press TV's US Desk: 'Pentagon Increases Military Operations in Africa'

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, featured in Press TV graphic for their US Desk. Azikiwe is a frequent analyst on African and global affairs., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

US increases military operations in Africa for ‘strategic interests’

Sat Oct 19, 2013 5:22PM GMT
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To listen to this statement delivered by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, to Press TV's US Desk, just click on the website below:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/10/19/330226/us-africa-military-strategic-interests/

The United States is increasing military activities in Africa for its own “strategic interests” and not to wage war on terrorism, a political analyst in Detroit tells Press TV.

“The United States is in Africa to supposedly wage the war on terrorism, but we know based upon history that the US does not go anywhere unless it is in support of its own strategic interest,” said Abayomi Azikiwe, an editor of the Pan-African News Wire.

The US military is stepping up its military activity “in Africa to seize control of natural resources and strategic waterways and also to block the People’s Republic of China from enhancing its relationship with various African states,” Azikiwe said.

“This is a problem for the African people because of repeated violations of the national sovereignty of the continent,” he added.

Thousands of US soldiers are now gearing up for missions in Africa as part of a new Pentagon strategy to train and advise indigenous forces, the New York Times reports.

The first-of-its-kind program is drawing on troops from a 3,500-member brigade from the Army’s First Infantry Division to conduct more than 100 missions in Africa over the next year, the newspaper said.

In addition to training African militaries, the US has been launching a massive build-up of troops into Italy, putting 13,000 troops in the nation to be able to launch raids into Africa, particularly northern Africa, at a moment’s notice.

“The US is positioning itself to engage in more disruptive and more police operations, destabilization efforts on the African continent and this is something that people in the United States and indeed people throughout the world should be aware of and oppose because there’s no positive development out of these relationships,” Azikiwe said.

“There’s only going to be more death, more destruction and more animosity circulated between Africa and the United States.”