Winning the terror war
It is indisputable that what Nigeria confronts in its protracted, over a decade and a half struggle to contain and defeat assorted terrorist onslaughts across various theatres, particularly in the
- Our soldiers are trying but they must do more
It is indisputable that what Nigeria confronts in its protracted, over a decade and a half struggle to contain and defeat assorted terrorist onslaughts across various theatres, particularly in the North, is the equivalent of full scale war.
This is especially notable against the backdrop that, at some point, strange terrorist flags were reportedly flying in no less than 30 local government areas of Borno State - a situation that had been completely reversed.
The intensity of the anti-terror war and the gallantry of Nigerian troops was vividly illustrated by the multi-pronged midnight attack on a military base in Benisheikh, in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State, on April 9; which was successfully repelled.
An investigative story by ‘The Punch’, in which soldiers at the front lines as well as civilians narrated their experiences, brought to light several pertinent issues which will prove useful to finding a lasting solution to the existential threat posed to the country by terrorism.
For instance, soldiers and civilians interviewed in the story stressed the large number of insurgents involved in the attack. According to a soldier who spoke anonymously, “We are used to coordinated attacks, but this was different. They came in large numbers from different directions at the same time. It felt like they had studied our position for weeks”.
The surge in insurgents’ numbers may be partly due to reinforcements from international terrorist affiliates such as the Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP).
But no less plausible is the possibility that large numbers of locals in northern communities are vulnerable to being recruited with pecuniary considerations in the face of pervasive poverty.
It is therefore important that states and local governments come up with creative initiatives to create employment for idle hands in affected communities to empower citizens and also promote grassroots development.
Another critical issue is how large numbers of terrorists could have moved across significant distances without adjoining communities alerting military authorities of the impending danger. This suggests an unhealthy degree of alienation between troops and the civilian populace at the front lines.
It is imperative that this gap be urgently bridged so that useful intel can be provided by the people to the soldiers.
No less worrisome was the death of another top military officer, Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, in the process of repelling the insurgents. According to eyewitness accounts, the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle from which the commander was coordinating the counterattack was immobilised under fire, ultimately resulting in the loss of his life along with some of his men.
A soldier told ‘The Punch’ that “When we started hearing that our colleagues in other locations had been overrun, it shook us. Then someone shouted that the brigade commander was dead. That was when fear fully set in”.
The psychological blow resulted in temporary withdrawal of a number of troops from the battle. To their credit, however, they regrouped, launched a counterattack and put the terrorists to flight.
Other senior officers killed at different theatres of the anti-terror war in recent times included Brigadier-General Musa Uba, Commander of the 25 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Dzarma Zirkusu, Commander of the 28 Task Force Brigade in Chibok, and Colonel Dahiru Bako who was killed in September 2020, in an ambush near Wajiroko town.
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On the one hand, these deaths indicate that the top brass of the military are leading from the front in the anti-terror war rather than staying in the background and pushing their men to the heat of the battle.
However, the loss of such high caliber officers at the military leadership cadre will necessarily negatively affect troops’ morale while depleting the stock of highly trained and experienced personnel so critical for success in the war. Again, the loss of these officers and other men in well planned attacks on strategic military assets suggest that the terrorists are often well acquainted with the locations, operational modes and movements of their targets of attack.
This means that the military must be sensitive to the dangers of fifth columnists within its ranks as well as informants among adjoining civilian communities. Indeed, the intelligence gathering arm of the anti-terror war needs to be significantly strengthened.
Just as the Nigerian Air Force must always be on hand to support the troops from the air to neutralise the rampaging terrorists.
To decisively change the narrative, there is the need to significantly upscale the numbers of our fighting forces and devise new strategies and tactics to enable us seize the initiative and take the fight proactively to the terrorists rather than habitually reacting to their offensives.
