US wants to see Nigeria win war against terror – Envoy

The US Ambassador in Nigeria, James Entwistle, has said that the US wants Nigeria to win the war against terror.
Entwistle expressed the view in Abuja on Thursday during a media Roundtable with some editors, saying: “The United States wants to see Nigeria win its war on terror.
“Now, we stand ready to help in many different ways.
“Obviously, counter terrorism has a military undertone but in my opinion, it has to be much more than that.
“There has to be an economic element, there has to be a law enforcement element and it’s very important to any country that is fighting terrorism, it is very important that military forces maintain a lot of respect for civilian populations and the rule of law.
“Now, my country has a lot of experience in counter-insurgency and counter terror efforts.
“Quite frankly, sometimes it’s gone well and sometimes it has not gone well but from both our successes and failures, we’ve learnt a lot of valuable lessons.
“And in a spirit of humility, not of arrogance, we are happy to come and talk to our Nigerian friends what we have tried.”
Entwistle said that by designating Boko Haram a terror organisation, it meant that the US would be able track the source of funding of the organisation.
Entwistle added that any step that the US would take in respect of the war on terror in Nigeria would be a product of the collaboration between the two countries.
“The United States Government is not going to take any unilateral action on terrorism here but a partnership with your government and beyond that with the people of Nigeria,” the envoy stressed.
He said the US was conscious of the fact that Nigeria was making efforts to deal with the situation in the North East but added that it was not an easy task.
Entwistle said that it was very difficult for security forces to separate the civilian population from terrorists and as such, the US would share its experiences in such situations in areas such as Afghanistan and Iraq with Nigeria.