Nigerian
troops fighting Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states
may have been bolstered by United States drones stationed in Niamey,
Niger Republic.
The Nigerian government had deployed
thousands of troops to the three states after President Goodluck
Jonathan declared a state of emergency in their territories on May 14,
2013.
A top intelligence official, who
declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue, told
Saturday PUNCH that US drones had been spying on Boko Haram bases in the
forests and plains around Nigeria’s borders with Niger, Chad and
Cameroon.
The source said this was part of
assistance provided by the US Government, in its bid to destroy terror
bases in West and North Africa.
The security official did not, however,
give further details of the spying mission as well as other aspects of
US military assistance to the campaign against Boko Haram.
“Yes, it is true. We have got assistance from the United States, including what you mentioned,” he stated.
US President Barack Obama had in
February announced that 100 American troops were being sent to the drone
base in the Nigerien capital.
The drones had been deployed in missions
against Islamist extremists in Mali but may their area of coverage may
have now been extended to cover Niger’s border with Nigeria.
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