UK Urged to Take Fight to Boko Haram

According to reports via Thisday , The British Government has been called upon to help provide coordinated international military assistance to Nigeria to tackle the brutal forces of Boko Haram.

According to the UK-based Independent Newspaper, the call was made by a coalition of former UK government ministers and generals.

In a letter to the Independent, foreign affairs experts including former Foreign Secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind (MP), and Lord Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, said despite an international campaign, no diplomatic or military progress had been made to secure the release of the Chibok girls – while Western attention has shifted to the problems of Islamic fundamentalism in Iraq and Syria.

The group argued that there is a compelling moral argument for international intervention against Boko Haram.

“Boko Haram and Isis form a key part of a growing, well-organised international terror network that poses a direct threat to UK national security. They must be stopped,” they said.

Other signatories included the former Labour Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth, and two former Africa ministers.

They called for a coordinated Commonwealth-led military assistance programme for the Nigerian security forces in their campaign against Boko Haram, and increased international intelligence support and training for the Nigerian government and military.

Mark Simmonds, a signatory and former Africa Minister, said: “There is more that needs to be done” to support Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram. “We’re not talking boots on the ground but we should be thinking about helping the Nigerian armed forces with training, procurement and with analysing intelligence.”

The letter has been organized as part of a campaign by Nigerian business groups who feel international investment is being threatened by the instability in the country.

Source - Thisdaylive