“Sustained Commitment Will Wipe Out Boko Haram”

 Major General Leo Irabor,  Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force

Let us talk about the fight against Boko Haram. What is the situation on the ground?

The security situation is improving as the Boko Haram terrorists have been severely degraded and diminished. We have taken out so many of their strongholds and the areas we are concentrating on now are the various allies of the force. This is the reason why we are conducting the current operation, codenamed Operation AMNI FAKAT. That does not imply that we don’t have enemy attacks. But the situation is not as it was before. Our operations have diminished the capacity of the terrorists. They are no longer bold enough to attack troops. They now rely on suicide bombings and improvised explosives devices.

What has the Joint Multinational Task Force achieved so far?

A lot has been achieved. Before now, Boko Haram had occupied so many villages which they considered as their stronghold. That is no longer the case, especially in Nigeria where most of their activities were taking place. We equally had them on the Mandara Mountains in Cameroon. All those places that were occupied by Boko Haram have been liberated. These include farms and villages. We have reduced their reinforcement capacity and their ability to resupply their logistics. We have captured a good number of their fighters and a good number of them have also been killed. We equally captured many of their equipments including vehicles, arms and ammunitions of various calibers. We destroyed workshops where they manufacture explosive devices and items they use to unleash terror on people. These are gains that we have made that have pushed them back such that a number of them are surrendering to the Joint forces as well as national forces.

What is your assessment of the military cooperation between countries in the Force?

The cooperation is good and I think I must commend our political leaders for taking the initiative to re-operationalise the Multinational Joint Task Force. Basically there are four countries that border the Lake Chad basin; Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. In each of the countries we have a sector. Sector one has its headquarters in Mora, Cameroon, Sector two in Chad, sector three in Nigeria and sector four in Niger. Apart from these four, we equally have the Benin Republic which contributes. Besides the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF), we have national forces that we cooperate with in ensuring that when Boko Haram fighters leave the immediate areas of the MJTF and run into other areas, the national forces will hunt them. We equally have joint operations and national operations. For instance we had the Operation Emergence IV and Operation Alpha in Cameroon operating jointly with us at the MJTF. In addition to the two operations is Operation LAFIYA DOLE in Nigeria. There are also joint operations in Niger and Chad. It is thanks to this excellent cooperation that we have recorded positive results so far. The military cooperation is commendable and I will encourage them to sustain that synergy of effort and synergy of understanding so that we will not have this sort of menace coming to our sub region.

What about cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria?

The military cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria in the MJTF is excellent. I have just told you I am the First Commander of the MJTF that constitute four countries. But in addition we have bilateral cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria outside of the MJTF. That is why there is a close relation between Operation Emergence in Cameroon and Operation LAFIYA DOLE in Nigeria operating jointly. That is also why you find forces of sector one of the MJTF in Cameroon operating alongside Operation LAFIYA DOLE in Nigeria to the extent that they have sent forces into the heart of Sambisa in Nigeria. This is not part of the operation of the MJTF. The bilateral cooperation permits them to pursue the terrorists wherever they may go. That arrangement has been rewarded with a lot of gains. It is a rich cooperation which must be sustained and must be applauded at all levels.

How does the Force operate on the field?

Operations are smooth though there may be a few challenges. You find challenges in every human engagement, but on a general note it has been very good. The performance of the troops showed the professional disposition of all the troops. In fact, it is by reason of their professional standing that we have been able to achieve the results we have achieved. You see the presence of the troops right at the frontlines in fields of very difficult operational environment, the troops stand to fight and do the work they have been tasked to do.
For me as the First Commander, my assessment of all the troops is that they are very professional and highly commended.

Tell us about logistics and equipment. Does the force have what it takes to accomplish its mission? 

There is no human establishment that has what is required to do their job. But on a general note, I think we have what it takes to bring the terrorism and insurgency to an end. There are areas we need to improve upon. But by and large, that is what countries are working on; to improve the equipment division of all the forces. On a general note, what we have has helped us. Talking about logistics, we are now going through the highlands. We need additional resources to assure that the channels of the highlands are not only patrolled but are communicated at all times. What we have, as good as it is, can still be improved upon. We equally need the right platforms needed for traverse in difficult terrain on the land area. We are working with what we have but they can be improved upon. Like I said, there is no armed force anywhere in the world that has everything it needs for a given war or a given operation. If you look at the average of what is available vis a vis what the enemy has, you w...

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