U.S. renews commitment to defeat Boko Haram

THROUGH its embassy in Nigeria, the United States (U.S.) yesterday renewed its support to the battle against Boko Haram insurgents in the Lake Chad Basin

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It promised to continue its support to the governments and people of Nigeria and neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon in their ongoing struggle to degrade and defeat Boko Haram.

Department of State’s spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement that the U.S. condemned the recent attacks by the insurgents on countries in the Lake Chad Basin.

The statement said the recent killings in which the insurgents slashed the throats of their victims have shown that the sect’s brutality and barbarism know no bounds.

Expressing the U.S. position, Kirby said the U.S.’ condemned the “horrific and indiscriminate” suicide attacks on the Grand Marche in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena on Saturday, as well as attacks in Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria “over the past two days.”

The statement reads: “Boko Haram’s targeting of men, women, and children highlights that the group’s brutality and barbarism know no bounds, and we remain committed to working closely with the region to root out the threat posed by the group.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the soldiers, government officials, and civilians killed; we hope those who were injured will recover quickly.”

The U.S., however, commended the efforts of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) on its timely responses to “these callous and cowardly attacks on innocent civilians.”

Kirby added in the statement: “The United States continues to support the governments and people of the Lake Chad Basin region in their ongoing struggle to degrade and defeat Boko Haram.

“We support these efforts through a number of security and counter-terrorism assistance programmes, including intelligence, advices, training and equipment.”