FIGHTING TERRORISM IN NIGERIA!
America’s Special Forces, UK’s Anti Terror Squad Unite against Boko Haram…China offers Image, Satellite Trackers
- France Sends Security Service Agents on Intelligence to Nigeria
- “We’ll smoke them out in their hideouts”–US Govt
- “We’ll cause lawlessness, stall 2015 Elections in Nigeria”–Islamic Sect
- AFRICOM trains Nigerian Army Special Operations on Counter Terrorism
- Strategy: Anti Terrorist Squad (North) face Boko Haram, South (confronts Niger Delta Uprising & Hostage Taking), Others (External-Peace Keeping Operations)
- Global Outrage against Boko Haram spread with ‘Give Back our Girls’
BY SAMSON SHOAGA/MANAGING EDITOR, just back from YAOUNDE, CAMEROON
CERTAINLY, the end of Boko Haram, Nigeria’s Islamic militants is nearer, but it is sure that the battle and war will be severe, as the most populous nation on earth, Nigeria is being assisted by military and Special Forces from United States (US), anti-terrorist squad from United Kingdom (UK), Security Service Agents from France and Intelligence operatives from China; to ‘flush’ out finally the notorious activities of the deadly Boko Haram fundamentalists that have held Nigeria down for years.
US, UK Forces land in Nigeria
Naija Standard observed the arrival of Special Forces from United States, followed by stern-looking anti-terrorist squad from UK, highly trained Security Service Agents from France and cerebral intelligence operatives from China. Their aim: “to capture Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram alive for prosecution on Crime against Humanity, Murder, Sexual Abuse, Terrorism, Money Laundering and rest,” a source close to these Western security operatives reveal. Based on their tight-security plan as coordinated by AFRICOM- US Africa Command presently training Nigerian Army Special Operations Command (NASOC), they are to hunt, pro-actively stop and end any form of terrorism, insurgency or militancy all over Nigeria.
Few weeks ago, Nigeria announced the creation of NASOC at a Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency Lessons Learned Exchange between the United States and Nigeria. It is the bilateral security cooperation between Nigeria and the Western nations that led to the creation of NASOC.
According to the Nigerian Army’s Chief of Transformation and Innovation, NASOC would be a “low density high level strategic utility force capable of conducting direct action at low visibility operations. NASOC operation will be governed by precision of conduct, accuracy, timely speed and execution, surprise to keep any adversary off balance while in special operations.”
Through AFRICOM, US Special Operations Command, Africa (SOCAFRICA), and the Office of Security Cooperation in the US Embassy in Abuja, the United States will be helping stand up the NASOC by providing training and a limited amount of equipment.
Strategy against Boko Haram
Naija Standard gathered that NASOC will have a force up North to deal with Boko Haram, a force in the South to deal with security in the Niger Delta, a headquarters force to focus on hostage rescue, and an expeditionary force for external use – perhaps to contribute specialized capabilities for peacekeeping operations.
France sends Intelligence Operatives to Nigeria
France condemns terrorism and support the global call to help Nigeria by saying it was boosting intelligence ties with Nigeria and sending security service agents there to tackle Boko Haram after more than 200 girls were kidnapped by the Islamist group.
President Francois Hollande’s office said after he spoke by telephone with Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan that Paris would dispatch a specialized team in the coming hours to Abuja to help find the girls.
With more than 4,000 troops operating between Mali to the west and Central African Republic to the east, Paris has a major interest in preventing Nigeria’s security from deteriorating and has voiced concern Boko Haram could spread north into the Sahel.
Having ousted al Qaeda-linked militants from Mali last year, France is planning to redeploy its forces across West Africa this summer to target Islamist groups taking advantage of porous borders between southern Libya, northern Chad and Niger.
“The president expressed his desire to increase intelligence cooperation with Nigeria, involving all regional countries, so that this terrorist group can no longer carry out such acts,” a statement on the telephone conversation said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told lawmakers: “In the face of such ignominy, France must react. This crime cannot be left unpunished.”
Around 10 experts from the external DGSE intelligence service with satellite observation knowledge would first be sent to join United States and British teams, official sources said.
Demanding an Islamic state, Boko Haram has been fighting in the northeast for the past five years. It attracted global attention last month with the abduction of girls taking exams in the village of Chibouk, also in the south of Borno state.
FRENCH TARGETS
Underscoring how far Nigerian security forces are from protecting civilians in a region, the group launched an attack that killed at least 125 people, police said on Wednesday after gunmen rampaged through a town in the northeast, near the Cameroon border.
Hollande, during a February trip to Abuja, promised to help fight them, saying Nigeria’s struggle was also that of France.
“This may be the catalyst the international community needs to fight Boko Haram,” a French diplomat said.
French interests have already been targeted by Boko Haram.
Last November, the group kidnapped a French priest and held him for a month. Earlier last year, in mid-February, they snatched a French family of seven on holiday in northern Cameroon and held them for two months.
Hollande at the time denied a ransom had been paid for the family, but a confidential Nigerian government report seen by Reuters said Boko Haram was given the equivalent of $3.15 million by French and Cameroonian negotiators.
The kidnappings were among a series of attacks on French targets in West Africa since France launched a military intervention in Mali in January 2013 to oust al Qaeda Islamists who had forged links with Boko Haram.
Nigeria has complained that the far northern region of Cameroon is being used by Boko Haram militants to transport weapons and hide from a six-month military offensive against them. It has appealed to Cameroon to tighten border security.
Officials in Niger, where France has based surveillance drones, have also voiced concern about infiltration by Boko Haram across the country’s southern border.
“We’re already at the forefront of the fight against terrorists in the Sahel and with borders so easy to cross these groups are linked,” the diplomat said. “We have knowledge in neighboring countries that can help.”
“We’ll smoke them out in their hideouts”–US Govt
Barack Obama, the United States has reportedly offered military assistance to Nigeria by deploying the American Special Forces, with the sole aim of “smoking out Boko Haram members from their various hideouts.”
Global Outrage against Boko Haram spread with ‘Give back our Girls’
From Nigeria to America, UK to Asia, everyone is echoing same song: “Bring back our Girls.” In view of this, there is a continuous pressure being mounted in the hunt of this deadly Islamic Sect.
“We’ll cause lawlessness, stall 2015 Elections in Nigeria”–Islamic Sect
Undercover investigation by our correspondent in Yaoundé, a strong base of Boko Haram in Cameron revealed on-going clandestine plans by this extremists to further cause unrest in Nigeria and halt the 2015 Elections in Nigeria. Sources close to their hideouts in Yaoundé who would want their names in the media to avoid backlash told Naija Standard that “Abubakar Shekau gave a standing instruction to all the Boko Haram members that this fight is a Jihad war and they must not be won. And that they should further make Nigeria ungovernable and scatter the 2015 elections.”
*Additional Reports by Reuters-EDITOR
