Nigeria's army chief promises to step up anti-terror operations

Nigeria’s caller service main has promised to intensify operations against terrorists successful the north

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- Nigeria’s caller service main promised to summation operations against “terrorists” successful the country's northbound connected Friday, less than a week aft U.S. President Donald Trump threatened U.S. subject engagement if Nigeria did not halt attacks connected Christians successful the country.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, speaking to troops successful Maiduguri, the superior of Borno State, northeast Nigeria, emphasized that the caller propulsion indispensable succeed. Failure was “not an option” arsenic the subject enters a captious signifier of the decade-long conflict, helium said.

“You person been grooming to decision the terrorists... This time, you are going to bash it differently,” Shaibu told the assembled troops. “All combat enablers person been provided. New platforms person been introduced, each to guarantee that you succeed.”

On Nov. 1, Trump threatened to end each assistance and assistance to Nigeria and "wipe retired the Islamic Terrorists" successful the country.

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed backmost connected Trump's announcement that helium was designating Nigeria arsenic “a state of peculiar concern” for allegedly failing to rein successful the persecution of Christians.

Experts accidental Trump’s comments are a mischaracterization of the conflict.

Nigeria’s colonisation of 220 cardinal is divided astir arsenic betwixt Christians and Muslims. The state has agelong faced insecurity from assorted fronts. This includes the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to found its extremist mentation of Islamic instrumentality and has besides targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.

Attacks successful Nigeria person varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting some Christians and Muslims, clashes betwixt farmers and herders implicit dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and taste clashes.

While Christians are among those targeted, analysts accidental the bulk of victims of equipped groups are Muslims successful Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, wherever astir attacks occur.

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