President Goodluck Jonathan says
fighters from insurgent group Boko Haram have traveled to the Middle
East for training with Islamic State militants.
Jonathan declined to name the countries
where the fighters were allegedly trained. But in an interview with VOA
on Wednesday, he said he’s long suspected Boko Haram of having alliances
with international extremist groups.
“So, we know the links are there. But
even now, we may not know the degree of linkages as to how much funds
are coming in from them, the kind of volume of weapons coming in from
them, the nationalities coming from them,” Jonathan said.
“But the training, because some of the Boko Haram members go to have their training in the ISIS camp and come back,” he added
In the interview, Jonathan credited both
the intervention of Nigeria’s neighbours as well as the acquisition of
new weapons for turning the tide against the militants.
He hit back at criticisms that foreign
troops aren’t being allowed to push into Boko Haram strongholds deep in
Nigerian territory. He said Cameroon previously denied Nigeria
permission to pursue Boko Haram into its territory, and added that
restrictions on foreign troops were matters of coordination.
“I think the idea is that look, for any
major aggression, we should know. Where possible, let some Nigerian
soldiers also be with you,” the President said.
He also said that foreign technicians
are present in the northeast to teach Nigerian troops on how to use
their new weapons, since there wasn’t time to train the troops before
they were deployed.
“So we now have this technical people
who are trainers and technicians, who are to train our people on how to
use them, and technicians that help the maintenance, at the same time
training our people how to maintain this equipment,” Jonathan said.
He said two unnamed companies were involved in the training but declined to offer nationalities or numbers of the trainers.
Jonathan dismissed the suggestion that Boko Haram’s insurgency had come to define his time in office.
“Yes, it’s a major security issue, it’s
the number one security issue we have as a nation. But definitely, you
cannot define us by Boko Haram,” he said.
As the multinational offensive
continues, Jonathan predicted that the northeastern states of Yobe and
Adamawa would be cleared of Boko Haram territory before the middle of
next week. He said he hopes neighbouring Borno State, where the group
started, will be cleared in the next three weeks.
But Jonathan said he expects Boko Haram
to continue bombing markets and bus stops. He says the government’s
strategy is to improve intelligence gathering as well as job and
educational prospects in the northeast as a long-term strategy to
destroy the group.
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