Don’t spit out your eggnog and overreact. The headline is not fake news. It’s actually a factual story, and one that deserves telling.

Al-Shabaab, the terrorist group linked to al-Qaida, translates to “The Youth” in English. Of course, Santa did not deliver to them. They are on the very, very, very bad list.

As many already know, al-Qaida is the same organization that attacked America and altered the lives of generations of Americans forever. What they may not know is al-Shabaab is aligned with them. Al-Shabaab is a nefarious group with the same evil intent to do harm to America and American interests. They have a desire but not quite the capability today.

This is because a small U.S. footprint and international effort to help Somalis build military capability is keeping them contained and in check.

It is important to help Americans understand why what we do on the African continent matters for America, her security and U.S. interests. It is a continent where the complexities of terrorism exist and global powers, such as China and Russia, are fiercely competing with a desire to be viewed as great partners in an era of great power competition.

Every day, I’m amazed at how a command representing 0.3 percent (yes, point 3 percent) of the Department of Defense budget achieves so much for America. There is a great deal of pride in how much is accomplished by the few, the proud…yes, we have Marines, but also, a joint force of sailors, soldiers, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen and international partners who take tremendous pride in this mission. Along with international partners, we also have Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development representatives helping deliver needed supplies to boys, girls, and the good people of the African continent. While often under the radar, there is a lot happening in Africa, and a whole lot of good being done by U.S. Africa Command. Whether it is via high return on investment for military training exercises, security assistance or personal engagement, U.S. Africa Command is a team that strengthens alliances and partnerships, contains threats, addresses malign activity, and delivers added security to Africa and America.

While knocked back in Syria, the Islamic State group is on the African continent. Their intent, similar to al-Shabaab, is to do harm to innocent Africans and Westerners, deny progress, and to rob them of their future. With the massive size of the continent, ungoverned space represents a potential petri dish of terrorist recruitment and development possibility. To the last U.S. service member, U.S. Africa Command remains steadfast in preventing this from ever happening.