Boko Haram Still Hold Territories in Nigeria - US Commander Counters Buhari
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US Africa Command (US AFRICOM) Commander
David Rodgriguez, has countered President Muhammadu Buhari, saying Boko
Haram still holds several territories in Northern Nigeria, ThisDay
reports.
He spoke on Tuesday in response to a question during testimony before
the US Senate Armed Services Committee reviewing fiscal year 2017
defence budget.
His comment about Boko Haram was in response to a question by Senator
Angus King of Maine who asked : “Is Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram growing,
are they adding members? I know they don’t hold territory, are they
adding areas of influence?” to which Rodriguez replied, “actually sir,
Boko Haram does hold some significant territory in Northern Nigeria as
do Al-Shabaab in limited areas of Somalia.”
He added that recently there is a “tactical upswing” in Al-Shabaab’s
operations in Somali but did not elaborate on Boko Haram’s operations,
adding in his written testimony to the Senate Committee that containing
and degrading the ISIL-affiliated Boko Haram remains one of AFRICOM’s
top priority.
“We are watching carefully for signs that the threat posed by Boko Haram
to US persons is growing as a result of the group’s alignment with
ISIL,” Rodriguez added.
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