Pentagon to cut hundreds of troops in Africa as U.S. focuses on China, Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military will withdraw hundreds of troops focussed on counterterrorism operations in Africa over the next several years to support the Pentagon's increased focus on countering threats from China and Russia, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

Earlier this year, the U.S. military put countering China and Russia at the centre of a new national defence strategy, the latest sign of shifting priorities after more than a decade and a half of focussing on the fight against Islamist militants.