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Nigerian army given 3 months to finish off Boko Haram

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (R) walks with his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya following his arrival at the airport in Yaounde on July 29, 2015. (AFP photo)

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered new military chiefs to end  Boko Haram's years-long militancy in the African country within three months.

President Buhari made the remarks as he swore in a new set of military chiefs in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday. 

"You need to brace up and continue to team up with other stakeholders to come up with a well-coordinated joint effort which will bring a desired end to these insurgencies within three months," said Buhari, adding, "The activities of these misguided groups and individuals have resulted in wanton destruction of lives and properties of our citizens and a disruption of social economic lives of millions of Nigerians."

Meanwhile, the Nigerian air force has announced a measure to deploy a number of fighter jets, attack helicopters and ATR-42 planes to the country's militant-infested northeast "in a renewed drive to crush the fighting will" of Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists.

The Nigerian leader, who came to power in late May, replaced the heads of the army, navy, air force and his chief of defense staff in an effort to re-energize the fight against Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists.

The terrorist group has stepped up its attacks since Buhari, a former army general, came to power on May 29. President Buhari has vowed to curb Boko Haram’s militancy.

According to a count by the French news agency, AFP, a wave of raids, bombings and attacks have left at least 900 people dead in Nigeria alone in less than three months

The Takfiri group's militancy has claimed the lives of some 17,000 people over the past several years, according to Amnesty International.

Nigerien soldiers patrol along the border near the southeastern city of Bosso, on May 25, 2015. (AFP photo)

 

Boko Haram violence has spilled over into Nigeria’s neighboring countries. Soldiers from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been battling the terrorists in recent months.

Nigeria's neighbors, which have all suffered attacks by Boko Haram, set up a regional force earlier this year to end the conflict.

The Nigerian president has made a multinational force of 8,700 central to his strategy in tackling the crisis.

Boko Haram's ringleader Abubakar Shekau has repeatedly threatened to attack countries that have joined forces against the militants.


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