General David Rodriguez, the commander of the United States Africa Command (Africom) and a one-time deputy commander of US Forces in Afghanistan, visited Nigeria last year after the Chibok girls were abducted. Despite numerous promises of technical support, training and intelligence, the US has done nothing to help Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram.
Now fearful that the crisis is overwhelming the Nigerian authorities, General Rodriguez has conceded that a huge” international effort is required to defeat the terrorists. Relations between the Nigerian and US militaries have been strained lately, after Washington refused to sell Nigeria helicopters required to fight the terrorists and in response, Nigeria cancelled the training of some of its troops by US advisers.
General Rodriguez said that with each day, the Islamists’ gains on the battlefield are a cause for concern and the number of people displaced is just staggering. He added that the Nigerian military’s response was not working very effectively and actually in some places made it worse.
“I think it’s going to take a huge international and multinational effort there to change a trajectory that continues to go in the wrong direction. The Nigerian leadership and Nigerian military are going to have to really improve their capacities to be able to handle things, so I hope that they let us help more and more,” General Rodriguez added.
Last weekend, the US secretary of state John Kerry, said Washington was prepared to do more to help Nigeria counter Boko Haram. However, it is not yet clear what this will entail as Nigeria's army is regularly, out-manned, out-gunned and out-manoeuvred on the battlefield by Boko Haram.
Of late, the terrorist sect has resorted to recruiting children to boost its ranks, some boys and girls as young as 10 years old. Like several other jihadist groups around the world, Boko Haram recently released pictures of these children in training carrying AK47 assault rifles.
Credit: Nigerianwatch
