The United States has reacted to claims by the federal government that it is obstructing the Nigerian military’s quest to procure weapons that would bolster its war against the extremist Boko Haram sect, by disclosing that it has actually increased its support for the Nigerian military, especially in the last six months.
The Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Jen Paski, in a press briefing on Wednesday in Washington, disclosed that the American government has been supporting the Nigerian military in the area of intelligence sharing, training of soldiers and other measures in combating the insurgency.
According to the Department of State spokesperson, the government of her country has improved intelligence sharing with the Nigerian military and has gone ahead to approve and sold some military equipment to the Nigerian military.
Hear her, “Let me just lay out the facts of our assistance. Over the past six months, the United States has started sharing intelligence with Nigeria, began training a new army battalion and held numerous high-level discussions with Nigerian authorities on additional measures to best address the Boko Haram threat.
“We have also provided and approved sales of military equipment to its armed forces. These decisions are made, of course, after careful scrutiny to ensure they conform to United States law,” she said in response to a question about Ambassador Adefuye’s claims.
While explaining that the U.S. refused to sell some Cobra attack helicopters to the Nigerian armed forces early this year because it was concerned the military had no capacity to operate and maintain it, Ms Paski noted that there were also concerns over the protection of civilians during military operations.
“We shared those concerns with Nigeria before this decision and subsequent to it,” she said.
The spokesperson held that the Nigerian military has however purchased helicopters from other sources and that the U.S. government did not prevent such purchases.
“Nigeria has purchased helicopters that originated in countries other than the United States, and nothing in our decision prevents Nigeria from obtaining weapons and equipment from other sources.
“We’ll continue to look for ways to deepen our cooperation with Nigeria to help it acquire the systems and skills needed to restore peace and security. But obviously, we’ve provided a great deal of assistance over the past several months,” she said.
Ms Paski maintained that her country would continue to urge the Nigerian military to investigate allegation of abuses by soldiers and to do more in the area of training the country’s security forces to improve its effectiveness, adding that “We wouldn’t be raising that concern if we didn’t feel and others didn’t feel that they were warranted.”
DailyPost recalls that the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., Ade Adefuye, had on Monday accused Washington of disappointing Nigeria in its hour of need by refusing to help the country procure weapon to combat Boko Haram.
“We find it difficult to understand how and why in spite of the U.S. presence in Nigeria with their sophisticated military technology, Boko Haram should be expanding and becoming more deadly,” he said.
The diplomat stated that the U.S. was standing in the way of the Nigerian military procuring lethal equipment which would have helped the country end the deadly Boko Haram insurgency it is faced with.
Adefuye, while dismissing claims that the Nigerian military were involved in human rights violations, faulted the U.S. government for the way it has been sharing intelligence with the Nigerian military. This was as he argued that despite the claim by the Americans that things have improved in that aspect, “it is still there”.
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