Some Democrat senators expressed concern Thursday over reports that the Trump administration is weighing military strikes against an al-Qaida-linked group in the West African country of Mali.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the administration is considering strikes targeting Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM.

Unnamed sources told the Post there is internal disagreement within the administration over whether to proceed against the group, which has established a stronghold in Mali and increasingly launched attacks in coastal West African nations.

Asked for comment by the Post, a White House official said the U.S. has been urging governments in North and West Africa "to purchase U.S. equipment and services to support their war efforts against the terrorists."

The official said terrorism in the Sahel, the vast semiarid region south of the Sahara, is a "multinational problem."

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Semafor he had "seen headlines" but "heard nothing from the administration."

"The last thing the U.S. needs is another foolish Trump war right now," Kaine said. "No one has briefed us on this."

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Todd Young, R-Ind., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said they had either not seen the reports or had not been briefed, according to Semafor.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., told Semafor he has "concerns about a military adventurism of our country," adding that cuts to U.S. aid and diplomacy undermined stability in the region.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Conn., also questioned whether airstrikes would achieve their intended goal.

"Why on earth would that be a good idea?" Coons told Semafor. "I've been to Mali several times. I've been to every country in the Sahel. I don't know anything other than you asking me right now.

"That's not likely to end well. What the current war in Iran is showing us is the limits of air power, and the limits of using technology to impose costs on an ideological opponent.

"JNIM is not going to suddenly give up because we drop munitions on them."

Many Democrat senators who spoke to Semafor questioned the strategy, which they said they learned about only through media reports.

"It doesn't seem to me that this president ever hesitates to use, or at least threaten, military intervention," Kelly said. "It's already got us into a war in Iran with no strategic goal. And now he finds himself not being able to get out of it."

The administration has deepened engagement with Mali's military government despite years of strained relations following the country's coups and growing partnership with Russia.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia visited Mali last week on his first trip to the continent, according to Semafor, meeting with the prime minister and foreign minister in Bamako.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration also lifted sanctions on three senior Malian officials with ties to the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization.

Mali's security situation has deteriorated in recent years. A coordinated offensive by JNIM and the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front in April worsened the crisis, with government losses across the country and a suicide bombing that killed the Malian defense minister.

The Trump administration appears to be angling for a similar arrangement as it had in Nigeria, according to Semafor, where Christmas Day U.S. strikes were carried out at the request of Abuja.