US Warns, Reveals Displaced ISWAP, Al-Qaeda Operatives Moving to Nigeria, Other W’African Countries
The United States has warned Nigeria and other West African countries against the current moves by terrorists groups who have been displaced in Syria and Iraq now making frantic efforts to come to the West African region.
The Commander of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM ) Maj. Gen. Davin Anderson who identified the terrorist groups as Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaida are making frantic moves to expand in the continent without being noticed.
Anderson who during a virtual media briefing said the groups were already in Mali and northern Burkina Faso where they have continued to destroy infrastructure in what has affected the economies of the two countries.
He said that the terrorists have been gradually moving into Burkina Faso “towards those littoral nations in the Gulf of Guinea and also further west towards Senegal and West Africa”.
He added that the Council is that the terrorists continue to move throughout the region.
Anderson called on Nigeria and other countries experiencing terrorist attacks to ensure the have leadership that will check such acts of terrorism.
According to him, such leadership should be able to attract strong partners like the United States and other Western countries.
He described the terrorist groups as resilient who have been deploying every strategy to gain entrance and expand in Nigeria and other west African states.
He called on the governments of West African countries to look for the weaknesses of the terrorists.
According to him, “I think there are two factors in that. One, each government has to focus on this and provide that focus for international partners to engage with. The other partner– the other part of this is we can’t underestimate the threat these violent extremist organisations pose.
“We, as a community of international nations, keep thinking we have defeated them or we have put them on their back foot and that they’re just moments from disintegration. I think after 20 years we have seen they are very resilient organisations that, although small, they’re able to leverage social media and other forms of media to have an outsized voice and that they continue to recruit and they continue to find opportunities.
“The United States has engaged with Nigeria and continues to engage with them in Intel sharing and in understanding what these violent extremists are doing and that has been absolutely critical to their engagements up in the Borno State and into an emerging area of North-west Nigeria that we’re seeing al-Qaida starting to make some inroads in.”
Nigeria has been battling insecurity for close to 10 years with worsening scenario in the past five years.
The Commander of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM ) Maj. Gen. Davin Anderson who identified the terrorist groups as Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaida are making frantic moves to expand in the continent without being noticed.
Anderson who during a virtual media briefing said the groups were already in Mali and northern Burkina Faso where they have continued to destroy infrastructure in what has affected the economies of the two countries.
He said that the terrorists have been gradually moving into Burkina Faso “towards those littoral nations in the Gulf of Guinea and also further west towards Senegal and West Africa”.
He added that the Council is that the terrorists continue to move throughout the region.
Anderson called on Nigeria and other countries experiencing terrorist attacks to ensure the have leadership that will check such acts of terrorism.
According to him, such leadership should be able to attract strong partners like the United States and other Western countries.
He described the terrorist groups as resilient who have been deploying every strategy to gain entrance and expand in Nigeria and other west African states.
He called on the governments of West African countries to look for the weaknesses of the terrorists.
According to him, “I think there are two factors in that. One, each government has to focus on this and provide that focus for international partners to engage with. The other partner– the other part of this is we can’t underestimate the threat these violent extremist organisations pose.
“We, as a community of international nations, keep thinking we have defeated them or we have put them on their back foot and that they’re just moments from disintegration. I think after 20 years we have seen they are very resilient organisations that, although small, they’re able to leverage social media and other forms of media to have an outsized voice and that they continue to recruit and they continue to find opportunities.
“The United States has engaged with Nigeria and continues to engage with them in Intel sharing and in understanding what these violent extremists are doing and that has been absolutely critical to their engagements up in the Borno State and into an emerging area of North-west Nigeria that we’re seeing al-Qaida starting to make some inroads in.”
Nigeria has been battling insecurity for close to 10 years with worsening scenario in the past five years.
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