The U.S. is carefully expanding efforts to provide intelligence, training and at times small numbers of forces to African nations, to help counter terrorist activities in the region, the top American military commander for Africa said Monday. 

Speaking to a conference that included representatives from African nations, Gen. Carter Ham, head of U.S. Africa Command, says coordinated moves by several Africa-based terrorist groups to share their training, funding and bomb-making materials are worrisome and pose a threat to the U.S. and the region. 

He pointed to U.S. surveillance in central Africa to try to ferret out rebel leader Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army and said it is the type of thing the U.S. military can do, but only when invited in to partner with African nations. 

"Do we collect information across Africa? Yes, we do," said Ham, singling out the LRA. "To