The US president has approved plans to create a US military command for Africa, a move that reflects increasing US strategic interests in the continent.

George Bush said in a statement on Tuesday that he had asked Robert Gates, his defence secretary, to get the new "Africom" unit up and running by the end of September 2008.

The United States would work closely with African allies to choose a location for the new command in Africa, he said.

Bush's decision comes as Washington grows increasingly concerned about growing "Islamist militancy" in parts of Africa.

The US is also concerned at Chinese attempts to gain greater control over the continent's natural resources.

Gates said that the creation of Africom would allow the US to focus it's resources more closely on Africa.

At present, the US military's deployments to Africa are handled by Central Command, which handles the Middle East and Horn of Africa, European Command which covers northern Africa and Pacific Command which has responsibility for Madagascar and some smaller islands.

The commands are unified, meaning they control assets from different armed services.

The US is already extensively involved in Africa, working closely with several Arab nations in north Africa as well as with other countries further south.

The US army began working in West and Central Africa in 2002, teaching local armies basic techniques to help them locate and destroy groups of suspected Islamist fighters in the region.

US forces also carried out at least two air strikes in Somalia last month targeting Somali Islamic courts fighters.

The US, the world's biggest energy consumer, also hopes the Gulf of Guinea region in West Africa will provide up to a quarter of its oil imports within a decade.

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said that Pentagon officials would flesh out plans for the new command at a briefing on Wednesday.

PHOTO CAPTION

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates(R) smiles with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace(L) before a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (AFP)

News Agencies & Al-Jazeera