Kerry tells Nigeria fight against Islamists is not just a military one

Pulse Staff 09:20 - 23 August 2016

FILE PHOTO - A poster advertising for the search of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is pasted on a wall in Baga village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, in the north-eastern state of Borno, Nigeria May 13, 2013.

"Building public trust in government also requires cooperation from the military and law enforcement. Extremism can't be defeated through repression or fear."

Nigeria's battle against Boko Haram will only succeed if it tackles the reasons why people join Islamist militant groups and if the government and its military gain people's trust, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday.

"We also know that beating Boko Haram on the battlefield is only the beginning of what we must do," Kerry said in a speech in the northern Nigerian city of Sokoto at the start of a visit to the West African nation.