The United States and Kenyan government officials are discussing the role of Africa Command aimed at overseeing Washington's military operations in the continent, officials said on Wednesday.

A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said on Wednesday the U.S. top military brass is in Nairobi to seek input from Kenyans on the way forward.

The Command is expected to secure Washington's rear flank of its global war on terrorism, with eyes trained on lawless areas where terrorists have sought safe haven to regroup and strike against its interests.

"A senior U.S. government delegation met Wednesday with Kenyan military and foreign ministry officials in Nairobi to discuss the role of U.S. African Command, and to solicit Kenyan input on the way forward," the statement said.

The proposed U.S. Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, which was announced by President George W. Bush in February, will enable U.S. forces to anchor on the African continent, creating a new command to encompass all security operations.

"AFRICOM is intended to give the US a more focused approach to U.S. security and developmental programs on the continent. At present, three different U.S. regional command headquarters maintain relationships with countries in Africa," it said.

Analysts said the move would herald a fundamental shift in U.S. policy that champions an active approach toward fledgling states prone to breed extremism, though more tangible needs are also at stake.

"We're here to listen," said Theresa Whelan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, who led the delegation in Kenya.

"While we have broad outlines for what AFRICOM should be, we want to get input from our African partners before we proceed."

"U.S. officials intend for Africa Command to be different than other U.S. military regional commands, seeking a greater mix of diplomatic, developmental, and economic experts, representing a wider range of U.S. government agencies on the staff," the statement said.

The US at present oversees five separate military commands worldwide, and Africa remains divided among three of them: European Command covers operations spanning 43 countries across North and sub-Saharan Africa; Central Command oversees the northeastern Africa, including the restive Horn of Africa; and Pacific Command looks after Madagascar.

All three maintain a low-key presence, largely employing elite special operations forces to train, equip and work alongside national militaries.

A perceived vulnerability to al-Qaeda and other transnational terrorist organizations, however, has fueled calls for a more aggressive security posture in Africa.

A number of al-Qaeda operatives, according to the US, are hiding in the Horn, Somalia specifically, and they continue to pose a grave threat to U.S. interests in the region.

But critics counter that military-centric policies could backfire and breed radicalism where it hardly exists by sustaining despotic regimes that usurp funding and military hardware to tighten their grip on power.

Source: Xinhua