The United States is ready to provide military training to help
Nigeria’s battle against Islamic extremists, the leader of a U.S. Congressional
delegation said here.
Nigeria’s military is not outgunned by Boko Haram and needs
training, not arms, to defeat the insurgents blamed for the deaths of thousands
in three countries, said Rep. Darrell Issa. Issa spoke after his four-person bipartisan delegation met with
President Muhammadu Buhari and military service chiefs.
Issa’s statement contradicts Buhari who asserted, after meeting
President Barack Obama at the White House last month, that the United States is
aiding Boko Haram by refusing to sell attack helicopters to Nigeria.
The U.S. Leahy Law prohibits all aid to specific military units
which have been found to violate human rights. In the case of Nigeria, U.S.
officials have said that some units have been vetted and deemed eligible for
assistance, and others have not. Amnesty International has accused Nigeria of
killing without due process an estimated 8,000 people suspected of involvement
with Boko Haram.
“The number one thing we bring is professional training” to help
the Nigerian forces fight Boko Haram and to advise them how to treat insurgents
and civilians captured in the war zone, said Issa, a Republican from California
and member of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism. Nigeria’s military “doesn’t
lack basic firearms … it lacks training” in military strategy and in
international and humanitarian laws.
“This is a military that was allowed to fall into disrepair during
the previous administration. Morale is low when training is low,” said Issa.
He said Obama’s pledge to give whatever training is needed signals
“a new day” in U.S.-Nigeria relations.
-Thenews
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