Nigerian Navy officers train with US Army Special Forces
Post created on July 9, 2021
According to a statement by the US Embassy in Nigeria, the exercise was part of a series of US engagements with the Nigerian military providing opportunities for the Nigerian military and US elite units to work together, learn from each other, and strengthen relationships.
The U.S. Consulate in Lagos said in a statement on Friday, July 9, 2021 that the two forces trained together on a broad range of land-based skills and tactics, such as countering improvised explosive devises (IEDs).
According to the statement,
“The exercise is part of a series of U.S. engagements with the Nigerian military that provide opportunities for Nigerian military and U.S. elite units to work together, learn from each other, and strengthen relationships”.
Acting U.S. Consulate Political and Economic Chief, Merrica Heaton, said at a closing ceremony in Lagos that the JCET is part of a close and continuous military partnership between the United States and Nigeria spanning decades to strengthen defense ties and promote regional security.
She said the partnership will help to enforce rule of law, combat maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea, and counter Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria’s north east region.
Boko Haram has terrorised the region since 2009 and displaced millions of people from their communities, with their activities spreading to communities in neighbouring countries.
The death toll directly linked to the group’s violence has been estimated to be around 35,000, but the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in a recent report that the total death toll is 10 times higher.
“We estimate that through the end of 2020, the conflict will have resulted in nearly 350,000 deaths, with 314,000 of those from indirect causes”.
A significant amount of the casualties were recorded in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, with children younger than five years old being the hardest hit.
During a visit to Borno last month, President Muhammadu Buhari admitted that the anti-terror war is not over, years after he claimed Boko Haram was ‘technically defeated’.
