US commences counter-terrorism training for 750 Nigerian soldiers

dimeji akinloye

February 18, 2016 12:17 AM

The training exercise will be conducted in three phases for 145 Battalion troops - at least 750 soldiers.

L-R: US Ambassador, James Entwistle, Chief of army staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai and Commander, US Africom. Gen. David Rodriguez at the inauguration of US training assistance to selected units of the Nigerian Army.

Some military personnel from the

The training exercise which commenced on Wednesday, February 17, at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, is expected to last for 12 weeks

The exercise will be conducted in three phases for 145 Battalion troops - at least 750 soldiers.

While speaking at the commencement of the exercise, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Enwistle, emphasised the need for countries within the Lake Chad Basin to continue to work together in the fight against terrorism and insurgency within the region.

He noted that the war against the Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast is being won, with the ongoing partnership between United States and Nigerian military in the areas of training of officers and soldiers.

READ: Boko Haram kills 6, burn old woman to ashes in Adamawa

Enwistle urged the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to improvethe socio-economic development of the northeast that had been ravaged by Boko Haram attacks in order to secure a long term stability of the region.

In his response, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Owonishakin, said the partnership between the US military and Nigeria’s Armed Forces is as a result of the commitment of the present administration to in waging war against global terrorism and violent extremism.

Also speaking, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, reiterated the Nigerian Army's commitment to towards strict adherence to human rights and international humanitarian laws in the ongoing war against Boko Haram.

dimeji akinloye