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Tag: North-East

  • 9th Assembly: North East APC backs South East for Speaker, endorses Onyeheocha

    Publicity Secretaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North East geopolitical zone under the auspices of the APC Forum of Public Relations Officers have aligned with the agitation of the south-east geopolitical zone to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 9th National Assembly.

    The APC spokespersons said their decision to align with the south-east is borne of the fact that all zones of the country should be allowed equal representation in the government in the spirit of fairness and justice.

    Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, Coordinator of the Forum, Aaron Artimas said in supporting the Southeast for the Speakership of the House of Representatives, they are not unaware of the zoning of the office and that of the Senate President to the South West and Northeast respectively by the national leadership of the party.

    Artimas said the Forum has endorsed Hon. Nkeiruka C. Onyejeocha for the position of speaker, considering her wealth of experience as a four-time member of the House and a former local government Chairman with lot of grassroot support.

    He said: “Many eminent Nigerians have continued to assert that Nigeria’s democracy is still a work in progress. Indeed, this is very true to the extent that in the effort to perfect our union as a Nation, a lot still needs to be done.
    “As we all know, Nigeria has always stood on a political tripod, anchored on the three founding political regions, namely, the West, East and the North, which have now been further unofficially devolved into six geopolitical zones. The implication of this is that every political region should be given its own right of equal participation as envisioned by the founding fathers of our country.

    Read Also: Senate releases details of National Assembly’s 2018 budget

    “It is in line with this that we the forum of APC Public Relations officers of the North East sub-region wish to align and identify with our counterpart in the southeast in their agitation to shift the post of the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives to their region.

    “The South East APC Public relations officers have already issued a press statement endorsing, Honourable Nkeiruka C. Onyejeocha as Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives.

    “A four-time member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Onyejeocha represents many shades of national opinion, especially the much talked about gender issue.

    “Put together with her rich political background as a grass root politician, a former Local Government Chairman and an effective legislator, she is eminently qualified to represent her zone and to serve the country as a whole.

    “We are not unaware of the perceived or unofficial zoning of the positions of the Senate President and the Speaker House of Representatives to the North East and the South West respectively. While this policy remains a political decision, we still believe that the ultimate decision to this effect remains a function of members of the National Assembly.

    “As party officials, we are not opposed to the presumptive position taken by the national leadership of our party. But, we strongly believe that no decision is exhaustive or final, because of the imperative to look into the various sides of the new arguments regarding the zoning of the National Assembly Leadership.

    “The South East is craving for better participation and representation in the present political dispensation. The major crux of their demand is to enable the party to grow in that region going forward. This has nothing to do with the presumed low patronage of the party in the region.

    “We believe that it is very appropriate to give them this wonderful opportunity so as to carry all parts of the country along. It is for this reason that we hereby declare our solidarity with the South East in their quest to shift the leadership of the House of Representatives to the zone.

    “It will please us greatly, if the National Leadership of our party and indeed other leaders of the party will take a second look at its perceived position in this regard.”

  • Boko Haram highly degraded, expiring – Buratai

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has urged troops in the North-East not to relent in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents as the terrorists have been highly degraded and are expiring.

    Buratai described the recent sporadic skirmishes from the Boko Haram terrorists as a desperate effort from a highly degraded and expiring adversary striving to maintain its notoriety.

    In a goodwill message to troops in the frontline in the North-East on Friday, the chief of army staff said also that the recent skirmishes from the terrorists should be seen as an attempt by the group “to portray itself as formidable and cohesive; something that is completely false.”

    He, therefore, charged the troops not relent in their gallant efforts and draw back the hands of the clock.

    “It is merely the last kicks of a dying horse. We have achieved great successes over the Boko Haram terrorists.

    “Thus, absolute and conclusive victory is just inches away, he said.”

    According to Buratai, the Nigerian army is not known for cowardly behaviour.

    ” We have contained several incursions and several security challenges bedeviling our dear country within the last three years and now would not be an exception.”

    He warned that any soldier that turned away in the face of enemy incursion would be appropriately sanctioned and made to face “Field Court Martial in accordance with our extant laws.”

    Buratai stressed that the consequences could be grave.

    “Do not be complacent by being contented with repelling their attacks, instead, go after them, capture them, and when absolutely necessary, be decisive with the daring ones.

    “Some women and children have been held captive, you are therefore to ensure that adequate rules of engagement are employed to extricate them before any offensive action,” the army chief said.

    He assured the troops that as their chief of army staff, he had never relented in his pursuits of ensuring that their welfare was adequately catered for.

    “To this end, I have directed that your allowances are paid regularly as and when due.

    “I have also directed that troops’ rotation be carried out as scheduled. As soldiers in battle, I am aware of the effects of battle fatigue.

    “Consequently, I have also directed that passes be issued to officers and soldiers that require same to visit their families.

    “Recall that I approved the special promotion of more than 5000 troops for gallantry.

    “Be rest assured that the process is continuous. Your kitting has also been improved drastically,” he added.

    Buratai recalled that special uniform allowance was paid a month ago directly into the troops’ individual accounts.

    He said through the various intervention programmes to the army by the government, the stock of arms and ammunition had greatly improved.

    He said recently, the army took delivery of large consignment of high calibre weapons and ammunition which were already being injected into the theatre.

    “I, therefore, urge you to make use of them judiciously and ensure that they are effectively used against the terrorists and not taken away by them.”

    Buratai also noted that in a bid to swell their depleting ranks, the terrorists had continued with their false teachings and instilling fake ideologies in the youths of the North-East.

    To curb this, he said, he had directed the Department of Civil Military Affairs in collaboration with the Department of Nigerian Army Chaplain/Imam Services “to immediately provide counter narratives through the community resilience and stabilisation campaign programme.”

    “I have also established the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command to among others, prevent online terrorism, online radicalisation as well as online recruitment.

    “To this end, do not let the false propaganda and narratives being spread by the rag-tagged terrorists sway your thoughts and actions about our dear country.

    “We should continue to stand and fight even when the going gets tough and the ignorant and enemies of the state choose to castigate us,” he said.

    The chief of army staff reminded the troops that many people had returned to their respective communities that were hitherto abandoned, but that the terrorists had taken advantage of the large population in the towns and villages to infiltrate them.

    “You must, therefore, be extra vigilant and establish good civil military relations with the locals.

    “You are to use this to acquire actionable intelligence to prevent any attack on the communities as well as your positions,” he said.

    He thanked Nigerians from all walks of life for their support, prayers, encouragement and goodwill toward the Nigerian army in the service of “our fatherland.”

    “I wish to also convey my appreciation to you all, the troops, for your selfless service toward the defence of our dear country.

    “Your courage and gallant demonstration of our core values of sacrifice and selflessness amidst the daunting challenges being confronted daily in the theatre speak volumes of your professionalism and patriotism to the Nigerian State.

    “I implore you to continue to uphold the trust the nation has placed on your noble shoulders for the maintenance of the sanctity of her territorial integrity. We must all remain steadfast.

    “We must see this victory to a conclusive end.

    “We must justify our oath of allegiance to our fatherland and dedication to her sovereignty.

    “I once again salute your courage and wish you the best of successes out there,” Buratai added.

    NAN

     

  • Tambuwal vows to restore peace, rebuild north east

    The governor of Sokoto state and PDP presidential aspirant, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has vowed that he  will not only restore peace and secure the states in the North East of Nigeria facing insurgency but rebuild them if elected as the president of Nigeria in 2019.
    Tambuwal disclosed this when he met delegates of the PDP from Borno and Yobe states in Maiduguri, the epicentre of the insurgency.
    Tambuwal noted that during his term as Speaker of the House of Representatives, the affected states were giving support to overcome security challenges.
    He lamented that the present administration is doing very little in ending the insurgency, stressing that many security operatives have been killed by the insurgents.
    “By the grace of Almighty Allah, we shall recruit more able hands, deploy needed technology and rejig the security architecture to tackle and put an end to insurgency in the North East. We will put an end to the reign of terror,” he said.
    The Sokoto-born lawyer added that it is time to rebuild hospitals, schools and the economy of the affected states.
    “We will recharge the Lake Chad basin from Central Africa. I am not aware of any concrete effort by the current administration to address the issue of Lake Chad. This has crippled the livelihood of many. Economic activities will boom again in Borno. There will be good healthcare facilities as well as quality education, both formal and Islamic for our children. This will ensure they don’t become willing tools in the hands of unscrupulous elements in the society,” he added.
    Tambuwal urged the delegates to vote for him during the national convention slated for October 5 and 6 in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
    Responding, Alhaji Zannah Gaddama Mustapha, Borno State PDP Chairman, stated that Aminu Tambuwal represents the type of leader Nigerians want .
    ” With Tambuwal’s experience over the years , he is the best deal for Nigeria today and Borno PDP and Yobe will give him their bulk votes ”  he said.
    His Yobe counterpart, Alhaji Sani inuwa nguru, stated that Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal will offer the 21century leadership that Nigeria needs right now .
    According to him:” Tambuwal will be a digital President and not an analogue one ” he said .

  • ‘Why insecurity persist in North East’

    Former National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo has attributed the growing insecurity in the in the country especially in the North Eastern part of the country to lack of opportunity for the youth who have remained idle.

    Jalo who spoke after collecting the nomination form to contest the governorship primary in Gombe state said once opportunity for economic growth is given to the youths, the security challenges would have been addressed, while creating a conducive economic environment for the people.

    Read Also:Insecurity: Taraba traditional rulers to the rescue

    He said “we have to farm all year round and not the seasonal farming that is currently going on because if you farm for four months and wait for eight months doing nothing, you will be poor.

    “So, these are the things that are causing insecurity particularly in my zone because many people are not engaged in economic activities or businesses. So, we have to do something so as to ensure our people are better in terms of generating income.”

    Jalo believed that the security challenges in the zone can be addressed if the youths are properly engaged, adding that there are many potentials in the youths that should be brought to the fore through sound education.

    The former National Youth Leader said he will give education the needed priority because “when you educate a person, you have given him freedom. So, education, especially primary education will be given attention”.

    He said further that “Apart from that, I also have the intentions of improving the economic situation of my place. Gombe is the economic centre of the North-East being the state that in the middle. It is a kind of centre for so many trading activities.

    “So, this is also important because as it is now, Nigeria depends on oil and we cannot continue to live like this especially most of us in the North – East because we have to have our ways to have the direct income for our state because that is the only way we will be able to sustain ourselves for a long period of time.

    “So, those that know the history of Gombe will know that we used to have popular grain-market similar to what we have in Kano – the Dala Pyramid. We still have it till today in Gombe.

    When asked why he has chosen not to decry the present governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo about his style of governance in the State, Dasuki said it is not in his nature to be criticizing people, noting he will definitely change his attitude on that.

    He said, “Actually it depends on someone’s nature and upbringing. You know they say empty vessels make the loudest noise. I want to say, on that; people will begin to see the difference.”

  • Boko Haram: Insurgents didn’t hoist flag in North east, cyber-terrorists out to frustrate relocation of IDPs back home – SHAC

    The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre, SHAC, has described the report in a section of the media alleging that some elements of the Boko Haram sect are active and currently hoisting their flags in some parts of north eastern region of Nigeria as fake, ridiculous and totally unacceptable in the face of efforts by stakeholders to relocate IDPs back to their abodes.

    The group said the false alarm is an attempt at frustrating the ongoing efforts to relocate and rehabilitate the Internally Displaced Persons back to their homes.

    SHAC said the information was not true as it remains a figment of the imagination of those merchants of death and profiteers of crisis who have vowed to see to the destabilisation of this country.

    Lawrence Audu, Director of Communications, SHAC, at a press conference on Sunday and obtained by our reporter, said the false report was capable of putting the life of humanitarian workers in danger and thwarting efforts at relocating internally displaced persons back home.

    The group therefore called on Nigerians and the international collaborators to disregard such heinous and unbridled stories being churned out by Boko Haram cyber thugs to discourage the Federal Government and the Nigerian people about seeing to the final end of Boko Haram in Nigeria .

    He said, “For the records, the Nigerian Military has won the war and no Jupiter can reverse the successes achieved even if they are happy or not. Efforts are ongoing and credible humanitarian organisations have continued to work with the IDPs of which many have returned home.

    “At this juncture, we call on all Nigerians to always verify the sources of their information before rebroadcasting because statistics show that fake news and rumours have been largely responsible for the escalation of crisis in most parts of the country.

    “Nigerians must be aware that one major component of terror is information flow. Terrorists like ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Shabab and their collaborators create dreadful images to instill fear followed by hate which travels like wild fire. Since negative news apeals more to the human senses, they are shared without proper verification to it’s authenticity.

    “Nigerians must desist from such acts since it helps the author achieve their aims very cheaply while those sharing achieve nothing but a society divided against itself along ethnic and religious lines.”

  • Buratai restates commitment to end insurgency in North-East

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Friday reiterated the commitment of the army to end insurgency in North-East and other security challenges in other parts of the country.

    Buratai spoke at a special prayer session to commemorate the 2018 Nigerian Army Day Celebration, at Juma’at mosque, Maimalari Cantoment in Maiduguri, Borno State.

    The army, according to Buratai, is also ready to contain terrorism; facilitate return of displaced persons to their homes, guarantee enduring peace and stability and social and economic development of the war ravaged region.

    The chief of army staff said the military had initiated various programmes to build the capacity of its personnel and ensure improvement in their welfare, to enable them discharge their responsibilities effectively.

    “I will remain committed toward building a professionally responsive Nigerian Army to contain insurgency and emerging security challenges in the country.

    “The Army will remain a-political, professional and work to promote national unity, integration and growth of democratic governance,” he said.

    Buratai noted that the army had sacrificed and contributed toward successful implementation of the counter-insurgency campaign in the North-east, maintain law and order in various parts of the country.

    He commended the fallen heroes for their sacrifice and selfless service to the country, adding that their sacrifices would continue to be remembered by Nigerians.

    Buratai, who commended President Muhammadu Buhari for supporting the Army, called for synergy between security agencies to end insurgency and enhance security network in the country.

    The chief of army staff also called on Nigerians to support the military and pray for peace and stability of Nigeria.

    Read Also: Buratai   cautions Nigerians against celebrating insecurity on social media

    Earlier, the Director, Directorate of Islamic Affairs, Brig,-Gen. Garba Shehu, tasked northern state governments to monitor activities of Islamic preachers in their respective domain.

    Shehu said that the call was imperative to ensure effective regulation of preachers and contain the spread of extremist and terrorist ideologies.

    “It is good to have institutions in place in both local government and state levels to regulate and monitor activities of Islamic preachers,’’ he said.

    The General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Maj.-Gen. Abdulmalik Biu, the Commander, ‘OPERATION LAST HOLD,’ Ma,-j Gen. Abdullahi Dikko and other senior military officers also attended the prayer.

    Some of the activities lined up for the event include, environmental sanitation, medical outreach and exhibition of military hardware to be conducted at Gudunbali, Monguno and other liberated communities.

  • True federalism panacea to Nigeria’s security challenges – Lawmaker

    True federalism panacea to Nigeria’s security challenges – Lawmaker

    The Deputy Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Olumuyiwa Jimoh, on Monday said that entrenchment of true federalism would address the nation’s security and other challenges.

    Jimoh, representing Apapa Constituency II at the Assembly, told the newsmen in Lagos that the current system had not made effective and efficient security possible.

    According to him, security of the nation can only improve if the federating states are empowered through devolution of powers.

    “As we see new acts of bombing, kidnapping especially in the North East, this shows everything is not well and we must not pretend as if things are all right.

    “So, we need to intensify efforts in improving our security by entrenching true federalism. We must address our federalism. In true federalism, states are being empowered.

    “The present federalism is affecting our security because there is no adequate security that can be provided for the people by the central government alone.

    “The entire Nigeria Police Force is not up to 200, 000 and we have 36 states. The population of Lagos alone is about 22 million, how can people be well policed?” the lawmaker asked.

    READ ALSO: Does true federalism guarantee true democracy?

    According to him, the Boko Haram problem, which should be a local one for the police to handle, has become a matter for the army and the air force who are supposed to defend the country against foreign invasion.

    Jimoh urged the federal government to beef up security on the nation’s waters, to check illegal entry into the country.

    The lawmaker, who noted that there had been major robbery incidents through the waterways, said it was unfortunate that the FG and Lagos State were in court on who controls the waterways.

    On the role of citizens in security, the lawmaker said they had a duty to provide information to the police and other agencies.

    “As citizens too, we have not been able to do our responsibility in the area of providing intelligence information as and when due to the security agents.

    “An average individual in the western world, when he sees something strange or new, alerts the police and other security agents so that before it gets out of hand, the security agents are on top of it.

    “But this does not happen here,” he said.

    Jimoh urged government across levels to focus on education, employment and youth development to tackle the growing rate of insecurity. NAN

  • North East: UN targets $1.05bfor humanitarian response for 2018

    North East: UN targets $1.05bfor humanitarian response for 2018

    The United Nations (UN) is targeting over $1billion for 2018 humanitarian assistance in the North East of the country, it was revealed today.

    About 7.7 million people from three most affected states in the North East are in dire need of humanitarian assistance this year. The states are Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

    Of this figure, UN is targeting 6.1 million for humanitarian assistance in 2018.

    The global body realized $740million out of the $1bn appeal for humanitarian intervention in the North East of Nigeria in 2017.

    The UN in collaboration with other international organizations and government has been actively providing humanitarian assistance in the area in the last nine years, owing to severe humanitarian conditions and insecurity occasion by activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.

    UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, who made the disclosure yesterday at the launch of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan for the North East in Abuja, however announced a target of $1.05bn for 2018.

    He said the fund which is expected to come from about 60 donor organizations would be expended on 173 projects and would impact on the wellbeing of 6.1m people in the three most ravage states in the region; Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

    Speaking in Abuja at the Launch of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan, Mr. Edward Kallon, UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria said the humanitarian crisis in the North East is one of the most severe in the world.

    In 2017, he noted that 5.6million people were reached by the global body, with a resultant effect in the number of food insecure people which dropped from 5.1million to 3.9million.

    Read Also: HIV, North East others get $89m US assistance

    The global body in 2017 realized about $945 million out of the $1billion appealed sort for to address the humanitarian crisis in the region.

    Despite the achievement, he however said that many challenges remain as conflict and population movements continue.

    Hence, in 2018 he said the plan is to provide life-saving emergency assistance among other to the 7.7 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance in the region.

    He said, “The aim in 2018 is to build on humanitarian work carried out in previous years and we have three strategic objectives. The first is to provide life-saving emergency assistance to the most vulnerable people in conflict-affected areas, ensuring that assistance is timely and to- scale. The second is to ensure that all assistance promotes the protection, safety and dignity of affected people, and is provided equitably to women, girls, men and boys. The third is to help people kick-start their lives again and also reconstruct the foundations of their lives so that they are better prepared to face future crises. This includes the 1.3 million people who have returned home, but also includes, those who have decided to stay where they are and try and rebuild their lives.”

    He further explained that “7.7 million People are in need of humanitarian assistance in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. These are people who have been displaced and are living in camps or host communities, people who have returned home to nothing, and people living in other areas that are hard to reach for humanitarians.

    “6.1 million of these people are being targeted for humanitarian assistance in the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan by 60 organsitaions including UN agencies and international and national NGOs. This humanitarian assistance ranges from food, protection, water, shelter and sanitation, to medicine, education and agricultural support, and will be delivered to vulnerable women, children and men across the three states,” he added.

    On funding, he said that of the $1 billion appeal in 2017, 70% representing more than $740 million was realized, which thus make Nigeria one of the best funded appeals globally, with $196million carried over from last year.

     

     

     

     

  • Army warn against harbouring fleeing Boko Haram insurgents

    Army warn against harbouring fleeing Boko Haram insurgents

    The Nigerian Army on Wednesday warned against providing sanctuary to fleeing Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

    The army also called on the people to report suspicious persons in their communities to security agencies nearest to them.

    Brig.-Gen. Sani Kukasheka, the Director, Army Public Relations, gave the warning in a statement issued in Maiduguri.

    Kukasheka said intelligence reports indicated that the insurgents were taking refuge in dry wells and other hideouts to avoid the ongoing military offensive against them.

    Read also: Army urges vigilance against suicide bombers

    “This is to warn residents in the North-East not to harbour the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists who are trying to flee from their waterloo.

    “Credible intelligence revealed that several of the insurgents have resorted to taking refuge in dry wells and other hideouts in some communities along their escape routes from the Sambisa Forest in order to evade the sustained bombardments from air and ground troops of Operation Lafiya Dole.

    “Any unpatriotic and unscrupulous persons especially in the North Eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe found providing safe sanctuaries or any assistance to the criminals will be treated as accomplices and given same treatment as  terrorists,” he said.

    The director appealed to the people to cooperate with the military by reporting any fleeing terrorists immediately to the nearest security agency or call the Nigerian Army Information Call Centre Number 193.

    NAN

  • Boko Haram: Group exonerates Nigerian troops of complicity in abuse of IDPs in North East.

    Boko Haram: Group exonerates Nigerian troops of complicity in abuse of IDPs in North East.

    *lauds troops on humane posture

    The Global Amnesty Watch has exonerated Nigerian troops from the various allegation of complicity in the abuse of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in the North Eastern part of the country.

    The Country Representative, Africa Affairs of the Global Amnesty Watch,GAW, Helen Adesola who disclosed this at the public presentation of its report on sexual harassment and exploitations being carried out in various IDPs camp across the country.

    She said the ugly incidents came to light in the form of rumours and idle talks, which prompted GAW to initiate further scrutiny of the claims being made.

    Adesola said such cautionary step was necessary to ensure that traumatized victims do not wrongly accuse anyone and to ensure that perpetrators do not get alerted and have enough time to intimidate witnesses or victims.

    “The allegations however found their way into the media before GAW could conclude its investigation.

    “Even after losing the cover of unanimity under which it had wanted to conclude the review of the various incidents in the IDPs Camps, GAW went ahead with the exercise.

    “It must however be admitted that it became an uphill task given the resulting sensationalism in the mainstream and social media, which muddled the facts with a handful of fictitious accounts.

    GAW also proposed that necessary changes should be made in the running of the camps in addition to improving on the security at the various locations.

    Adesola said, “the patriotic actors in the fight against terror and the troops have been most embarrassed by the allegations that they were engaged in raping the Nigerians they are meant to be protecting especially with the kind of damaging piece by New York Times.

    “This notwithstanding, authorities need to order a fresh investigation that will do away with the bias that had been created by the way the allegations of rape were published with certain groups unilaterally indicting soldiers even before a proper probe has taken place”she said

    She added that the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of the survivors and indeed all IDPs in camps must be given higher priority to ensure that there is no repeat of what has been reported.

    Adesola also proposed the Identification, apprehension and punishment of the real culprits as a first step towards realizing this since our research has cleared the military and its personnel.

    GAW also called for an overhaul of the curfew system in IDPs camps to ensure that impersonators do not have the benefit of sneaking out of their own quarters to commit havoc while pretending to be soldiers or security operatives.

    “IDPs in the various camps should be encouraged to form watch groups that function like “camp police” that will provide timely information to authorities whenever they observe anything untoward.

    “Social workers, therapists and counselors should be engaged to work with willing rape survivors after which their testimonies should be revisited when they must have gotten a handle on their trauma so that the criminals behind their ordeal can be apprehended” she said

    Adesola added that GAW will provide legal services to IDPs and families who were molested by any individual either in the military or amongst the civil population.

    “Non-state actors should be advised to desist from making bogus claims that are capable of eroding the gains made by the Nigerian military”she concluded.