The US military's new command covering Africa began operational work yesterday from a base in Germany and will be brought to full capacity over the next year, a military spokesman said.

But several African leaders have expressed doubt about the command's necessity. And they have said they want to avoid the presence of foreign troops on their soil.

The US Africa Command headquarters, known as Africom, is being created with the aim to working with African security forces to tackle regional crises and terrorist threats - a nod to the continent's increasing strategic importance.