Extreme Threat

The U.S. military commander for Africa says he believes Islamists fighting the U.N.-backed Somali government are getting some funding from piracy there and that al-Qaida militants will link with the pirates one day too.

Army Gen. Carter Ham told senators that the extremist threat coming from East Africa is the biggest concern of his U.S. Africa Command.

Ham says he believes the al-Shabaab movement fighting the government gets at least some economic support from pirate activity. Ham says that given that al-Qaida has links to Shabaab, its only a matter of time before al-Qaida becomes associated with pirates as well.