ALGIERS, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Algeria and the U.S. on Sunday discussed the issue of dealing with the threat posed by terrorist fighters returning to Africa after the defeat of Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel received visiting Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State Alina Romanowski, during which they discussed the bilateral security cooperation, the state-run television reported.

The two officials discussed essentially the U.S.-Algerian counterterrorism partnership, including in the African Sahel region, the report said.

They expressed the concern about the threat posed by the return of foreign fighters to Africa after the defeat of IS in Iraq and Syria.

The African Union, in which Algeria is the coordinator of counterterrorism strategy, is worried that the return of African fighters would undermine peace and security in the continent, as they could form new terrorist cells and launch terrorist attacks not only in the most vulnerable regions like the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa, but also in new areas which have never been affected by terror threats before.

UN reports estimated that some 6,000 African fighters, who joined IS in Iraq and Syria, have returned home after the defeat of the terrorist group.