(AFP) – US President Barack Obama will deploy up to 300 military personnel to Cameroon for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations against militant Boko Haram insurgents, he informed Congress on Wednesday.
In a letter released by the White House, Obama said 90 personnel had already been deployed, marking a modest but significant escalation of US involvement in the fight against the Islamic State-allied group. Washington has largely shied away from engaging its vast military assets to combat Boko Haram, with policymakers wary of fueling militant recruitment or fusing the the group’s ties with Middle Eastern Islamists.
The onus, US officials said, would still be on a regional coalition that has tried to keep a once regional Muslim anti-colonial movement frommetastasizing into a regional jihadist threat. “It will be part of a broader regional effort to stop the spread of Boko Haram and other violent extremist organizations in West Africa,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
Meanwhile President Obama sent General David Rodriguez, Commander of the US Africa Command to Nigerian president Buhari yesterday for talks ahead of the said deployment of US troops. The Command is responsible for Military relations with nations and regional organization in Africa.
Tanx.... But why USA sending troops to Cameron instead of Nigeria, the hqr of Boko Haram.... Recall that during GEJ the US sent similar troops to Chad and refused arms purchase from Nigeria... I'm suspecting the US.....ooooo
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