Al-Qaida, ISIS affiliates team up in West Africa, says US Special Operations Command Africa...

I believe it was Napoleon who said, "I prefer fighting allies." You then have an enemy run by committee

Thanks for the post.

ISIS and Al Qaida are following Muhammad's orders. Yet, we call them extremists.
In the rural areas, Islam appeals to those without justice and who have no recourse to wrongs. Islam only requires a small tax from profits and submission to the god of the Kaaba.
I do not know what resources are in play in this area of Africa. Diamonds cone to mind as an example of how the two so called extremists groups would work together for the money it would bring for new weapons.
We will not be able to defeat the enemy if we only fight them physically. We will have to control the narrative and demand the governments of the area in question reach out to the poor.