Nigeria’s cancellation of a U.S. program that trained forces to counter the Boko Haram terrorist group could hamper efforts to combat the growing terrorist threat in Africa, analysts say.

The U.S. embassy in Nigeria announced on Monday that the training of a Nigerian Army battalion would cease at the request of the country’s government. Boko Haram, whose leaders have previously praised terrorist groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), continues to conduct daily attacks in Nigeria’s northern provinces and now reportedly holds territory “the size of Maryland.”