BOKO HARAM SPONSORS In Big Trouble As U.S. Agrees To Help Nigeria Identify Them1 min read

Boko Haram sponsors may have to start looking over their shoulders with more intent as U.S. expresses readiness help Nigeria with identifying them.

This promise was made on Monday by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, while speaking during a meeting with journalists in Abuja.

The envoy was asked if the US was ready to help Nigeria identify sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria.

In response, she disclosed that talks were ongoing on the matter.

Leonard said, “That is something we are very eager to partner Nigeria on.  I have had at least three conversations in the last two months on this subject. I won’t like to go into details.”

She used the opportunity to dismiss the notion by some Nigerians that the relationship between Nigeria and the U.S. would crash as happened in Afghanistan, stressing that the two countries have a strong bilateral relationship unlike that of Afghanistan.

She added, “I hear people making the analogy with Afghanistan a lot, it does not match up.

“When you listen to what President Biden said on how troops went to Afghanistan in the first place, it was because they were in a horrible tragedy, over 3,000 Americans were killed.

“That is a different construct. The sovereign nations who have had strong bilateral relations. I don’t actually think the two match up.”

Also speaking, the Commander, US Air Forces in Europe, General Jeffrey Harrigian, told journalists that the purchase of Tucano fighter jets was an opportunity to cement the US relationship with Nigeria as well as curbing insecurity.

He said, “The A -29 Super Tucano gives us an opportunity to reconnect our relationship with Nigeria”.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s battle against insurgency has taken a new twist in recent weeks with the surrendering of Boko Haram fighters in thousands.