The United States (US) has offered to send a special operations mission to Nigeria to fight Boko Haram

The United States (US) has offered to send a special operations mission to Nigeria to fight Boko Haram, the US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) said on Friday. In a statement by USAFRICOM, the US government expressed its readiness to work alongside the Nigerian army.

"At the request of the Nigerian government, the SOCAFRICA (Special Operations Command Africa) component of USAFRICOM conducted a preliminary assessment regarding the feasibility of resuming a limited advise-and-assist mission alongside select Nigerian units," USAFRICOM said in a statement.

According to Reuters, USAFRICOM said the proposals envisaged a "platoon-sized" team, typically meaning a group of between 12-30 troops. The proposals were also said to be pending approval from various governments departments and military officials.

The New York Times earlier reported that the advisers would be based in Maiduguri, the most affected city in the northeast.

The US has been seen to be expanding its support for African countries over the past few months and has plans to enter a new security deal with Senegal.

It has also been reported to have increased the number of elite special operations forces in Africa to about 1,200.

Jennifer Cooke, Africa programme director at the centre for strategic and international studies, told the house foreign affairs committee that there is an urgent need to tackle Boko Haram.

"There is an urgent need to prevent Boko Haram from regenerating and possibly coming back more virulent, destructive, and globally connected than before," she said.

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The United States (US) has offered to send a special operations mission to Nigeria to fight Boko Haram, the US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) said on Friday.
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