The United States (US) has announced that its military would no longer train the Nigerian Army on how to tackle the Boko Haram sect.
US Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, Public Affairs Section in Abuja, on Monday, said the cancellation was at the instance of the Federal Government.
It would be recalled that the first two phases of training were conducted between April and August 2014, and said to have provided previously untrained civilian personnel with basic soldiering skills.
The US in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday described the decision as regrettable.
The statement reads in part: “At the request of the Nigerian government, the United States will discontinue its training of a Nigerian Army battalion. The first two phases of training were conducted between April and August 2014, and had provided previously untrained civilian personnel with basic soldiering skills. Based on mutual assessment of the Nigerian Army and US trainers, a third iteration of training was agreed upon with the intent of developing the battalion into a unit with advanced infantry skills.
“We regret premature termination of this training, as it was to be the first in a larger planned project that would have trained additional units with the goal of helping the Nigerian Army build capacity to counter Boko Haram. The US government will continue other aspects of the extensive bilateral security relationship, as well as all other assistance programme.”
DAILY POST recalls that, the media was recently awash with the refusal of the United States to supply fighter jets to Nigeria to help her fight the Boko Haram insurgency.(Daily Post)
