Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara

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Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara (OEF-TS) is the name of the military operation conducted by the United States and partner nations in the Sahara/Sahel region of Africa, consisting of counterterrorism efforts and policing of arms and drug trafficking across central Africa. It is therefore part of the Bush administration's Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). The goal of the missions is to drive terrorist threats away from the continent of Europe, thus, south and east of the Sahara.^[1]

Joint Task Force Aztec Silence (JTF Aztec Silence) is the combined arms organization assigned to implement the missions and meet the goals of OEF-TS. The JTF has been part of United States European Command (EUCOM). As of February 2007, with the announcement of the new United States Africa Command, the mission will fall under the purview of Africa Command.^[2]

The Congress approved $500 million for the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative (TSCTI) over six years to support countries involved in counterterrorism against alleged threats of Al Qaeda operating in African countries, primarily Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Nigeria, and Morocco.^[3] This program builds upon the former Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI), which concluded in December 2004^[4] and focused on weapon and drug trafficking, as well as counterterrorism.^[5] TSCTI has both military and non-military components to it. OEF-TS is the military component of the program. Civil affairs elements include USAID educational efforts, airport security, Department of the Treasury, and State Department efforts.^[1]

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