United States General on Thursday May 15th,
said that the Nigerian military is becoming afraid of engaging this Boko Haram
insurgents and this might affect the US level of involvement in finding for the missing girls.
Punch Reports Says:
Testifying on Thursday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the US Air Force Chief of staff, Gen. Mark Welsh III, said: “We’re now looking at a military force that is, quite frankly, becoming afraid to even engage. The United States doesn’t have the capacity, the capability to go rescue every kidnapped person around the world.”
The New York Times also reported that the US might choose to reduce its involvement in the search for the over 200 schoolgirls that were abducted by Boko Haram due to doubts over Nigeria’s military capabilities.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the US had also questioned the ability of the Nigerian military to rescue the girls even with all international help.
Pentagon’s Principal Director for African Affairs, Alice Friend, also Added that, “The Nigerian military has the same challenges with corruption
that every other institution in Nigeria does. Much of the funding that
goes to the Nigerian military is skimmed off the top, if you will.”
US
officials have also said that its involvement had also been made
very difficult because of the negligence of the past warnings by the Nigerian officials to soften
brutal tactics that only fuelled the Boko Haram’s insurgency.
At
Thursday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, officials also condemned the kidnappings and committed American aid to help rescue the
girls. But they also expressed frustration at Nigeria’s political and
military leaders for failing to heed Washington’s warnings about this
extremist group.
“We have been
urging Nigeria to reform its approach to Boko Haram,” Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Robert Jackson, said.
He
also added, “From our own difficult experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, we
know that turning the tide of an insurgency requires more than force.
The state must demonstrate to its citizens that it can protect them and
offer them opportunity. When soldiers destroy towns, kill civilians and
detain innocent people with impunity, mistrust takes root.”
A
retired Head of the US military’s Africa Command, Gen. Carter Ham,
said, “My sense is that US Government will remain in a supporting role
to Nigeria. I do not think the U.S.G. will seek unilateral action.”
The size of the Sambisa Forest is also believed to make the search for the girls difficult.
“We
are basically searching for these girls in an area that’s roughly the
size of West Virginia, so it’s a tough challenge, to be sure,” state
Department spokesman, Marie Harf, said on Thursday.
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