Jan Thapa, director of the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Special Operations Forces, said about 50 Navy SEALs were aboard the SEAL mission. The Navy declined to release the count. The SEALs are working in a remote area of Central Africa, near the borders of Kenya and Tanzania.

Tensions between local militia and government forces in neighboring Somalia have led to a number of deadly cross-border attacks and fighting in Somalia, the other country in this mission.

In April, al Qaeda-linked militants overran a nearby town during a raid meant to seize weapons, officials said. U.N. officials have reported similar incidents around the globe. Al Qaeda attacks have also been blamed on African extremists, but experts said they could be in part due to the groups’ limited training and funding.

The deployment “will help us take our position in Africa,” U.S. Africa Command spokesman Lt. Col. Ryan Dillon said, adding that the force would support counterterrorism and training operations, which help the government combat violent extremists.

“When you put a Special Operations command in a remote place like that [Central Africa], they have a tremendous amount of freedom here that they never had before,” he said.

The move by the SEALs comes as the Obama administration faces criticism for failing to intervene more forcefully in recent days in Syria and Libya.

That has prompted critics to suggest that the administration is failing to protect the global community from extremist groups in the region, including by providing military support.

“When the United States, its closest allies, sends trainers, advisers or special forces directly to help other countries counter ISIS [the Islamic State], we are showing our values, our support for democracy, human rights, and the freedom of nations to make their own choices,” the White House said in a statement.

In addition to the military support, the U.S. government has focused its attention on combating piracy off the coasts of Africa in recent years.

The U.S. has conducted 14 missions to disrupt Somali piracy off Africa’s coast in recent years, including rescuing an estimated 60 hostages and seizing the Somali fishing vessel the Sogdiana in June 2013.