The Nation Newspaper

Tag: troops

  • Troops invade Delta community

    THERE was tension in Kokori, an Urhobo community in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday.

    Troops from the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Effurun invaded the area in search of one of Niger Delta’s most wanted criminals.

    The target, simply identified as Kelvin, an indigene of the community, has allegedly master-minded the killing of a dozen security operatives.

    The victims include two soldiers, who were killed in the community last weekend, and four prison warders in Warri last month.

    It was gathered that troops moved into the area yesterday morning, forcing residents to stay indoors.

    Kelvin, whose operations have drawn comparison with the infamous Lawrence Anini of the 1980s, reportedly stormed Kokori, his hometown, on Friday and opened fire on soldiers deployed in the area to curtail his onslaught.

    It was gathered that prior to the attack on the soldiers, Kelvin had also allegedly killed two chiefs for their alleged collaboration to facilitate his arrest.

    “After killing the chiefs, he warned that he would eliminate as many people as possible before his capture,” a community source told our reporter.

    Soldiers, who escaped the scene with injuries, were rushed to the Battalion’s headquarters in Effurun-Warri.

    It was gathered that the Commander of 3 Battalion, Lt-Col Ifeanyi Otu, warned that the operation would last for as long as the suspect is on the run.

    The military chief told reporters that he was prepared to end the onslaught of Kelvin and members of his gang.

     

     

  • Nigeria, others fulfil 70 per cent of troops pledged for Mali

    Nigeria, others fulfil 70 per cent of troops pledged for Mali

    •French in tough fight in northern Mali

    •Evidence of Boko Haram’s link with al-Qaeda found 

     

    About 70 percent of troops pledged by Nigeria and others to the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) have been deployed, it was learnt yesterday.

    Foreign Minister of Côte d’Ivoire Charles Koffi Diby made the disclosure at the opening of an extraordinary meeting of the Mediation and Security Council of ECOWAS Ministers in charge of foreign affairs and defence, in Abidjan on Monday.

    The minister said the priority was to expedite the deployment of the force to progressively take over from the 3,500 French forces who spearheaded the effort to flush out terrorists occupying the north of Mali.

    The minister, who is also the chair of the Council, stressed the need to protect Mali’s Tuareg population from reprisals by elements who accused them of affiliation with Islamists who briefly occupied the north of the country and terrorised the local population.

    He noted that it was also important to prevent northern Mali from becoming a sanctuary for terrorists.

    Minister Diby, who also hailed the adoption of a road map by Mali’s National Assembly for return to constitutional government, said it was a landmark development in the country’s political evolution to normalcy.

    The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, warned against complacency in the wake of the recovery of major towns previously occupied by the terrorists.

    He said:”We must not rest on our oars in the light of this positive development as the Council seeks to confront the multifarious challenges that require appropriate responses.

    “Indeed, the many issues we must turn our attention to are the definitive stability and security of the recovered areas, the long term conditions for maintaining the troops in the field, respect for international humanitarian law and human rights as well as preparing the concept of operations based on the realities on the ground.”

    With the recovery of previously occupied territory in the north of Mali, the ECOWAS Commission President said “we are now on the verge of a consolidation phase which is vital if we must contain the risks of a somewhat unbalanced war and thus safeguard the sustainability and credibility of our action, he said the support of the UN and international community was vital, not only in the prompt release of funds to AFISMA, but also in view of the need to increase resources and ensure the embrace of operations by the United Nations.”

    The one-day extraordinary meeting was convened to discuss the evolving situations in Mali and Guinea-Bissau and proposals for addressing them.

    France’s defense minister says French troops are involved in “very violent fighting” in the mountains of northern Mali, and that it’s too early to talk about a quick pullout from the West African country despite the growing cost of the intervention.

    Jean-Yves Le Drian said on France’s RTL radio Tuesday that the French intervention in Mali has cost more than €100 million ($133 million). French troops moved in Jan. 11 to help Mali’s weak military push back Islamist extremists.

    Le Drian said: “We are now at the heart of the conflict,” in protracted fighting in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains. While some have suggested starting a pullout of the 4,000-strong French force next month, Le Drian said he couldn’t talk about a quick withdrawal while the mountain fighting goes on.

    More evidence piles up that Boko Haram has been communicating with al Qaeda, particularly the branch in Mali. There were apparently Boko Haram members in Mali before French troops began clearing the Islamic terrorists out of northern Mali five weeks ago.

    The sources for this (captured documents and interrogations) also revealed a rift within Boko Haram. Many members are angry that the terror tactics have not produced much beyond a lot of mayhem and more Nigerians, particularly Moslems, who hate Boko Haram. That is why calls for peace talks since last November have created public disputes between Boko Haram leaders and factions.

    While Boko Haram has been able to carry out hundreds of attacks in the last few years, some of them quite spectacular bombings or gun battles, the group is no closer to its goal of ruling the north, much less all of Nigeria. While quite violent and militant, Boko Haram is still a small group, with a few thousand members (of varying skill and dedication) and a few hundred thousand northerners who offer support. Judging from the number of tips the police get and the subsequent raids on Boko Haram hideouts, many northerners are not fans of the ultra violence.

     

  • Mali: Army, FIIRO collaborate on food for troops

    The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos (FIIRO) is collaborating with the Research and Development (R&D) Department of the Defence Headquarters to produce varieties of highly nourished food that can sustain troops packaged in Mali.

    FIIRO’s Director-General, Dr. Gloria Elemo, said they would develop food for the management of malnutrition and some health challenges among the troops.

    “The institute has developed over 250 technologies since inception and 50 of the technologies have been packaged and are ready for investment by micro, small and medium entrepreneurs using the country’s agricultural endowments to sustain and quicken the pace of industrialiation in Nigeria.

    “For instance, in tuber processing, we have developed products from cassava such as high quality cassava flour for partial substitution in wheat flour, industrial starch, odourless fufu, cassava chips and pellets, cassava noodles, mechanised garri, Soy-garri and many more,” she said.

    The Chief of R&D Department, Defence Headquarters Forces, Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Adeosun, said: “We don’t really have much time. There is no time to start from scratch; we are looking for people who already have what we want on their shelf that we can collaborate with so that we give them our specifications and things start happening since we have almost 250 technologies to draw from as presented by the director-general.

    “When we were in Liberia, an organisation was with us who packaged different food for us and we enjoyed it. Now that we are moving into a very strange environment, where there is desert, where logistics support maybe a little bit difficult, we should have something that will sustain us for 24 to 48 hours before help can come and that is why this collaboration is necessary.”

     

  • Troops rescue U.S doctor in Afghanistan

    An American doctor who had been abducted by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan has been rescued, the United States-led international forces say.

    Dilip Joseph, of the Morning Star Development aid group, was freed by U.S and Afghan forces in a joint operation that killed seven of his captors, The BBC reports.

    U.S commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, said he ordered the mission as intelligence showed the doctor was in danger of being killed or injured.

    He is said to be in good health.

    The BBC says Dr. Joseph will undergo medical checks before returning to the U.S – probably in a few days.

    Dr. Joseph and two Afghan colleagues from Morning Star were captured by Taliban insurgents on December 5 while returning from a rural medical clinic in the Sarobi district of Kabul province, near the Afghan capital.

    Morning Star said the three were stopped and captured while driving by a group of armed men.

    They were then taken to a mountainous area about 80km (50 miles) from the Pakistan border.

    The two Afghans were released on Saturday evening following three days of negotiations.

    In a statement Morning Star said it was “grateful beyond words for the assistance and support of many people and organisations during this event.”

    It also said it had “paid no ransom, money or other consideration to the captors or anyone else to secure the release of hostages.”

    Gen. Allen praised the military cooperation between U.S and Afghan forces which led to Dr. Joseph’s release.

     

  • 3000 troops for Mali mission

    3000 troops for Mali mission

    Nigeria and other members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will contribute 3,000 troops to the United Nations Intervention Mission to check Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram in Mali .

    The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps plans to send 200 members of its armed squad to join the team.

    It was also learnt yesterday that the United Nations Security Council will meet tomorrow to consider the Action Plan for the intervention in Mali.

    But, unlike a similar campaign in Liberia, the UN will solely bear the cost of the mission in Mali.

    According to a highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence on the Mali mission, the troops will be deployed immediately after approval by the Security Council.

    The source said: “We are set for the military intervention in Mali anytime from now. On the whole, ECOWAS will send a 3,000-man force to that country to check the Al-Qaeda Movement and their allies like Boko Haram.

    “All ECOWAS members will contribute troops in proportion to their population and military strength. The details are already being worked out by military chiefs of all the countries.”

    A report of the Action Plan will be submitted and considered by the UN Security Council tomorrow, said the source, who stressed that the operation “won’t be like ECOMOG in Liberia which was one-sided and mainly shouldered by Nigeria”.

    Responding to a question, the source added: “The military is working out the cost, which will be funded by the UN. Do not forget, it is, however, purely a UN operation.

    “We have just received a report that contributions to the Force might come from outside because some European nations have shown interest to be part of the intervention.”

    Asked why the UN opted for the military intervention, the source, a senior government official who pleaded not to be named, said: “If Mali becomes the den of Al-Qaeda , Nigeria will feel the effects more because we are already grappling with Boko Haram crisis.

    “You can imagine the whole of West Africa under terrorist siege; we won’t be able to cope at all. Already, over 200,000 families have been displaced in Northern Mali .

    “Some people have been criticising the Federal Government for encouraging ECOWAS members for this mission, but we are talking of the survival of this country.”

    A source in NSDC said: “About 200 officers and men of our armed squad might be part of the troops to be deployed in Mali .

    “Already, they are undergoing orientation on this mission. We are eager to join the Force because it will be a major test for our armed unit.”

    Besides its 2071 Resolution, the UN Security Council had on October 12 given ECOWAS a 45-day deadline to finalise the Action Plan to liberate Northern Mali from militants.

    The resolution, drafted by France, called for “detailed and actionable recommendations” to be presented to the Security Council within the specified time.

    It urged UN member states and regional and international organizations to provide “co-ordinated assistance, expertise, training and capacity-building support” to Mali’s armed forces.