Dems demand President Obama ‘strategy’ on Boko Haram
The plan would have to boost Nigeria’s military and provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the group. (AP photo/Wilfredo Lee)
By Pete Kasperowicz (@petekdcnews)
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., is demanding that the Obama Administration come up with a plan for dealing with Boko Haram, the terrorist group that killed thousands of people and disrupted tens of thousands more in Nigeria.
Wilson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), introduced legislation on Mon-day that would require the Departments of Defense and State to submit a five-year plan to Congress that would help Nigeria fight the Islamic extremist group.
That plan would have to boost Nigeria’s military capacity, provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the group, and help strengthen the rule of law in Nigeria, among other things.
So far, the Obama Administration has resisted any direct intervention in the fight against Boko Haram. A few dozen troops have been sent to Nigeria.
In October, the White House announced the deployment of 90 troops to Cameroon, and plans to send a total of about 300. But the White House stressed they are not there in a “com-bat role,” and instead are there to help regional partners combat Boko Haram.
U.S. troops have not been sent to Nigeria because of that country’s dismal record on corruption and human rights.
In the meantime, the group has continued to pillage and destroy in Nigeria. Over the weekend, 21 were killed at a religious site by bombs hidden there by the group.
The State Department condemned that attack in a statement Tuesday morning.
“We offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and loved ones of the many innocent civilians who were killed and injured,” State spokesman John Kirby said. “The apparent use of children — particularly young girls — to commit these attacks is especially heinous, and it pro-vides yet more examples of the horrific measures Boko Haram is willing to take to terrorize civilians in northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region.”
