Key Takeaways
- AFRICOM commander Gen Dagvin Anderson said Islamic State fighter surrenders in Nigeria rose by more than 200 per cent after a joint Nigerian-US operation in May.
- Anderson attributed the rise in surrenders to the May operation targeting a top ISIS commander and the military offensives that followed.
- Anderson said the US continues to provide Nigeria with intelligence, specialised capabilities and training, but warned that military assistance alone cannot resolve Nigeria’s security problems.
The Commander of the United States Africa Command, Gen Dagvin Anderson, has said the number of Islamic State fighters surrendering in Nigeria has risen by more than 200 per cent since a joint Nigerian-US operation in May.
According to ThisDay, Anderson made this known on Monday on the sidelines of the Africa International Defence Exhibition in Lagos.
He attributed the surge to the impact of the operation, which targeted a top ISIS commander, and the military offensives that followed.
The AFRICOM commander said the US was still working closely with Nigeria’s security agencies by providing intelligence, specialised capabilities and training.
He described the partnership as key to the success of the May operation.
“The partnership with the Nigerian Armed Forces and Nigerian intelligence was exceptional, and that’s what really enabled that partnership to happen and to take out the number two terrorist in the world for ISIS,” he said.
Anderson explained that the collaboration combined local knowledge with global intelligence.
“Some of it is intelligence, but also understanding of the terrorist network globally. And so Nigeria brings the regional and local understanding, while we bring the global network understanding, and together that becomes very powerful,” he added.
