- U.S. extol Army’s Super Camp strategy, laments continuing terrorists attacks especially in Northeast Nigeria
The United States (U.S.) has released its ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2020,’ saying it has restarted coordination with the Nigerian military at the Nigerian Defence Intelligence Agency’s (NDIA’s) Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre towards elimination or terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin especially Nigeria.
The coordination is being led through the U.S. Department of State-funded Military Intelligence Advisor.
In its Terrorism 2020 report, the U.S. noted that Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa (Islamic State in West Africa Province – ISWAP) continued their attacks against government and security forces and civilians in Northeast Nigeria, resulting in deaths, injuries, abductions, and the capture and destruction of property.
In the report released on Thursday, the U.S. said even though Nigeria has worked with affected neighbors in the Lake Chad Basin under the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to counter Boko Haram and ISIS-WA, the terrorists “continued to enjoy nearly complete freedom of movement throughout Borno State and eastern Yobe State.”
The report also noted that “the deteriorating security environment has worsened conditions for civilians and further constrained relief operations in northeastern Nigeria.”
It extolled Nigerian military’s “Super Camp” strategy, which began in 2019 to stem losses when terrorists overran forward-operating bases, saying that “as a defensive military strategy, the decision to consolidate the posture into super camps is working.”
However, it stated, “Boko Haram and ISIS-WA have exploited the military’s inability to patrol open space outside the super camps to abduct aid workers, attack humanitarian operations hubs, and degrade security along roads.”
According to the report, “in the Lake Chad region, ISIS-West Africa (ISIS-WA) and, to a lesser extent, Boko Haram (BH), continued to conduct attacks against civilians, government personnel and facilities, and security forces, which resulted in deaths, injuries, abductions, and the capture and destruction of property.
“The United States continued to provide advisors, intelligence, training, logistical support, and equipment to Lake Chad region countries and supported a wide range of stabilization efforts, such as defection, demobilization, disengagement, deradicalization from violence, and reintegration programming.
“Continued attacks by ISIS-WA and BH have taken a heavy toll on the civilian population, especially in Northeast Nigeria, where attacks have displaced more than 2 million people and left roughly 10 million in need of humanitarian assistance.
Part of report reads: “Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa continued attacks against government and security forces and civilians in the Northeast, which resulted in deaths, injuries, abductions, and the capture and destruction of property. Boko Haram attacks did not discriminate between civilians and government officials, whereas ISIS-WA generally, but not always, focused attacks on government and security forces.
“The implementation of the Nigerian military’s “super camp” strategy, which began in 2019, was designed to stem losses when terrorists overran forward-operating bases. As a defensive military strategy, the decision to consolidate the posture into super camps is working. However, Boko Haram and ISIS-WA have exploited the military’s inability to patrol open space outside the super camps to abduct aid workers, attack humanitarian operations hubs, and degrade security along roads. The deteriorating security environment has worsened conditions for civilians and further constrained relief operations in northeastern Nigeria.
“Boko Haram and ISIS-WA carried out hundreds of attacks in Nigeria using small arms, captured military equipment, detonated IEDs (including person borne, vehicle borne, animal borne, and implanted), engaged in ambushes, operated illicit checkpoints and taxation systems, conducted kidnappings, and perpetrated executions.
“Nigeria worked with affected neighbors in the Lake Chad Basin under the MNJTF to counter Boko Haram and ISIS-WA. Boko Haram and ISIS-WA continued to enjoy nearly complete freedom of movement throughout Borno State and eastern Yobe State. To date, terrorist actions by Boko Haram and ISIS-WA have contributed to the internal displacement of about two million people in the states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, and the external displacement of more than 300,000 Nigerian refugees to neighboring countries, principally Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
“According to the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign, since the abduction of 276 students by Boko Haram from Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, 112 students remained missing at the end of 2020. BBOG organizers note that while most of the 113 students abducted from Dapchi, Yobe State in 2018 had been released, one student remains in the custody of insurgents.
“Nigeria is a member of the TSCTP. The United States restarted coordination with the Nigerian military at the Nigerian Defense Intelligence Agency’s (NDIA’s) Joint Intelligence Fusion Center. Coordination is being led through the U.S. Department of State-funded Military Intelligence Advisor. Engagements had been stymied because of COVID-19 mitigation measures. However, the Military Intelligence Advisor arrived in October and has made significant progress within a brief period. The Nigeria Defense Intelligence Agency has given the advisor significant access to the NDIA and asked that the advisor help build the capability of the Joint Intelligence Fusion Center and establish the AFRICOM-donated Africa Data Sharing Network.
“In the broader Sahel region, terrorist groups expanded their operations in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. These include affiliates of al-Qa’ida and ISIS, such as Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and ISIS-Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS), respectively. Partner countries often lacked the means to contain or degrade the threat on a sustained basis.
“The G-5 Sahel Joint Force (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger), launched in 2017 to coordinate CT operations among member countries, is not yet capable of disrupting the growing terrorist footprint across the Sahel. France’s Operation Barkhane continued to play a crucial role in countering terrorist groups while MINUSMA promoted a level of basic security.”
Speaking on the report, U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony J. Blinken, explained that the Country Reports on Terrorism (CRT) provides insight on important issues in the fight against terrorism and helps the United States make informed decisions about policies, programmes, and resource allocations as we seek to build counterterrorism capacity and resilience around the globe.
Blinken noted that “among the many accomplishments highlighted in the 2020 report are our efforts to expand the focus of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS to address new regions of concern, the first terrorist designation of a Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremist (REMVE) group, and the growing number of countries that have recognized the whole of Hizballah as a terrorist organization.
“The CRT also offers a frank assessment of the challenges we face. The report’s Annex of Statistical Information shows that both the number of terrorist attacks and the overall number of fatalities resulting from those attacks increased by more than 10 percent in 2020 compared with 2019. These figures reflect, in part, the spread of ISIS branches and networks and al-Qa’ida affiliates, particularly in Africa. The rising threat from REMVE groups, including those promoting the superiority of the white race, is addressed in a new section of the report for the first time.”