US ends hunt for Joseph Kony as top rebels ‘off battlefield’

NAIROBI, Kenya – The head of U.S. armed forces in Africa says the force is ending its mission against Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army because the senior leadership of the rebel group has been “taken off the battlefield.”

In a conference call with reporters, Gen. Thomas Waldhauser said Kony’s rebel group is fighting for relevancy after a number of its senior leaders have been killed or captured.

Waldhauser’s comments come a day after the Ugandan government announced it would end the search for Kony, the LRA leader who is wanted by the International Criminal Court. The U.S. announced last month it would end its hunt for Kony.

In 2011 the U.S. deployed roughly 100 special forces troops as advisers to fight the LRA, and sent an additional 150 airmen to assist African forces in the search for Kony.