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The lush, green forests of central Africa have long been the playground and refuge of the continent’s most-notorious warlord, Joseph Kony.

His Lord’s Resistance Army, which began with the aim of overthrowing the Ugandan government, has since spread to remote hinterlands on the borders of the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Though officials don’t know exactly where Kony is, U.S. troops have been sent to the area to help find and defeat the LRA leader.

They have made progress. But as CNN has learned, much work remains to be done — both to locate Kony and to restore a sense of stability and safety to the region.

“Kony is definitely still a threat. He’s been on the run. He’s on the decline, and in survival mode, but he is still dangerous and he’s going to be dangerous until the LRA are eliminated,” said a captain with U.S. Special Forces.

The captain, who CNN agreed not to identify because of concerns for his safety, spoke in Obo, a village in the Central African Republic.

President Barack Obama directed the deployment of about 100 troops to central Africa last year to help hunt down leaders of the LRA. Distributed among four operating bases, they are advising regional forces.

“We help our partner nation forces ask the right questions — the who, the what, the when, the where and the why — to get all the information,” the captain said.

The LRA has been on the run since being scattered from a temporary base in Congolese territory by a botched 2008 U.S.-backed attack on Kony’s position, dubbed Operation Lightning Thunder.

Since then, LRA attacks have killed 2,400 people and displaced 465,000, according to Resolve Uganda, a nonprofit group that monitors LRA activity. Another 3,400 people have been abducted.

Kony, who became a household name when a video about him went viral on the Internet this year, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. He and his group are accused of killing and maiming villagers, abducting children and turning them into soldiers or sex slaves.

Courtesy Of  CNN.COM

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