B’Haram: Military to deploy 8,700 soldiers

Military chiefs from the Lake Chad Basin Commission have perfected plans to deploy 8,700 troops of the Multi National Joint Task Force against the Boko Haram insurgents.

The Acting Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, said in a statement on Tuesday that the move was made during a meeting of the military chiefs in Ndjamena, Chad.

The meeting was attended by military chiefs from Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin Republic, the Commander of the MNJTF and other senior military officers.

Abubakar said, “The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, has visited Chad Republic where he joined other regional military chiefs to deliberate on the agreement to accelerate the deployment of the 8,700 strong Multi-National Joint Task Force.

“The Chiefs of Defence Staff from the Lake Chad Basin Commission member- countries met in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad and finalised details of the deployment of a joint force to fight the Boko Haram which has sworn allegiance to ISIS and has killed hundreds of people through suicide bombings in the last three months.”

He said that the CDS had been working hard to carry out the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to conclude the counter-terrorism operation against the Boko Haram in three months.

He added that the meeting discussed modalities for the deployment of the troops of the MNJTF to two command posts in Nigeria and Cameroon.

Abubakar added that a directive had been issued to officers on secondment to the MNJTF to report immediately to their duty posts.

He stressed that the Force Headquarters of the Task Force had commenced operations.

Meanwhile, President Buhari on Tuesday did a critical assessment of the ongoing anti-terrorism war and concluded that his administration was on course.

Buhari said this during a joint press conference he had with visiting President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said his administration had identified its top priorities to include security and economy.

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