Thomas Gaist
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) head General David Rodriguez called for a
large-scale US-led “counterinsurgency” campaign against groups in West
Africa during remarks at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies in Washington, DC last week.
Rodriguez’s statements are part of a coordinated campaign by the US
to massively expand its military operations in the resource-rich region,
as it combats the influence of China and other powers.
The US should prepare for operations in at least four West African
countries as part of a “huge international and multinational” response
aimed at forces affiliated with Boko Haram, Rodriguez said.
AFRICOM is already preparing an “across the board response to the threat,” Rodriguez said.
Echoing recent comments from US Secretary of State John Kerry during
his visit to Lagos, Nigera that the US is ready to “do more” militarily
in Nigeria, Rodriguez called on the Nigerian government to “let us help
more and more.”
In similar remarks at a the US Army West Point academy last week, US
Special Operations Command (SOCOM) chief General Joseph Votel said that
US commando teams must prepare for new deployments against Boko Haram
and the Islamic State.
“[Boko Haram] is creating fertile ground for expansion into other areas,” Votel said.
“While it isn’t a direct threat to the homeland, it is impacting
indirectly our interests in this particular area and creating another
area of instability,” the top US special forces officer said.
Votel warned that radical Islamic groups are gaining tens of thousands of new fighters.
Votel cited ongoing SOCOM operations in the Philippines, begun in
2002, as a model for how US commandos can project US power by building
relations with allied militaries. Votel will travel to Norway in early
February to talk with NATO allies about US war preparations, including
new military operations in the Arctic directed against Russia, according
to Defense News .
Rodriguez and Votel’s statements coincided with plans announced by
the African Union last week to deploy a 7,500-strong multinational force
in the name of fighting Boko Haram and “other extremist groups.”
The AU multinational force will serve as the vehicle for further
infiltration of US forces into West Africa, while providing support for
and legitimizing the already significant US military presence in the
strategically crucial, resource region. The intervention will proceed
amidst elaborate war game exercises led by US Special Operations Command
(SOCOM), known as Operation Flintlock, to be coordinated with a number
of West African and European militaries beginning in mid-February.
US Congressional leaders are also pushing for a new war in Nigeria
and the surrounding region. Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee Ed Royce was scheduled to meet with the Nigerian ambassador to
the US today, Ade Adefuye, known to be a strong advocate of US military
intervention in Nigeria, according to Nigeria’s the Guardian.
Representatives Patrick Meehan and Peter King demanded that the US
implement “a comprehensive strategy to address Boko Haram's growing
lethality” in letters to Secretary Kerry posted in mid-January.
The Obama administration is also preparing to approve the sale of Cobra jet fighters to Nigerian government, according to the Guardian.
Last week, Chadian jet fighters and ground troops launched
cross-border attacks against the Nigerian towns of Gamboru, Kolfata and
Malumfatori, reportedly driving Boko Haram fighters out of the area.
Boko Haram launched repeated assaults against northern capital of
Maiduguri, home to some 2 million residents, reportedly utilizing heavy
weapons including RPGs and artillery. The Nigerian military claims that
hundreds of Boko Haram fighters were killed during the attacks.
South African mercenaries are fighting alongside Nigerian troops against the militants, according to reports late this week.
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