Multinational Joint Task Force
Even though Islamic militant group Boko Haram has been in operation for more than five years, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has given his newly appointed military chiefs just three months to dismantle the terrorist organization, reports the BBC.
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Since President Buhari won office in March, he has made defeating Boko Haram one of his primary goals.
His strategy has included moving his nation’s military headquarters from the capital of Abuja to Borno State capital Maiduguri as well as forming a nearly 9,000-strong Multinational Joint Task Force (comprised of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad) to take down Boko Haram by July. Soon after, President Buhari came to an agreement with the aforementioned countries to fight across borders until the opposition is no more.
Now it has been revealed that during the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed service commanders last month, President Buhari tasked them with a three-month deadline to destroy the terrorists.
President Buhari – a former army general – reiterated that the new military chiefs would be expected to work closely with neighbours Chad, Cameroon and Niger in fighting Boko Haram.
He said he would give troops the necessary resources to achieve the “feat.”
At the ceremony, President Buhari reportedly insisted that the military respect the law when fighting Boko Haram, “In particular you must protect innocent civilians and respect the rights of combatants.”
While Boko Haram is responsible for killing 17,000 civilians since 2009, according to Amnesty International, the human rights organization also accused the Nigerian military of killing 8,000 — in addition to innumerable acts of torture — in June.
After Amnesty International released their 133-page report, President Buhari said he would investigate the charges, with Spokesman Mike Omeri adding, “The government of Nigeria has zero tolerance of the mistreatment of citizens, especially when human rights are involved.
“When such allegations are made, the government will not hesitate to investigate. The armed forces are professional in training and conduct. Unless they are investigated we cannot accuse them of this. They are not known to be engaged in this.”
RELATED: Anti-Boko Haram Forces To Fight Across Borders Until Militants Are Conquered
