Commander of the United States’ Special Operations Command Africa, Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks has described Boko Haram as the most lethal terror organisation.
He said this at a press briefing held in the US on anti-terror efforts of the US government.
In excerpts published by Thisday on Saturday, the military commander spoke on US’ efforts to reinforce development, diplomacy, and defence, including the Flintlock, an annual exercise in Africa, and noted that the US had shifted its focus of training from tactical proficiency of small units to command and control of joint forces.
“Likewise, we have participants from the Multinational Joint Headquarters in N’Djamena that address the threats of ISIS West Africa, which is really in North-eastern Nigeria, and Boko Haram, its predecessor, which is the most lethal terrorist organisation in the world, in Lake Chad,” General Hicks remarked.
When asked why Nigeria and other African nations are so important to the US, the American Ambassador to Niger, Eric Whitaker, at the conference said: “I think Africa is important to US’ national security for a variety of reasons.”
“We have a long, historic relationship with the African continent and its 54 countries, keeping in mind that no less than 13 per cent of our US population derives from the mother continent. Africa, a continent of over 1 billion residents, is a continent with which we have important relationships, whether it’s in diplomacy, development, or defence for several decades now.
Topic: Boko Haram Named most lethal terror group in the world (Read 7405 times)
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