The Defence Headquarters has attributed the recent resurgence of terrorist attacks in North East and North West to alleged influx of foreign fighters providing reinforcement to local terror groups.
The Director, Defence Media Operation, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known while briefing newsmen on the operations of the armed forces on Thursday in Abuja.
“The resurgence in terror attacks can be attributable to the influx of foreign fighters that come in as reinforcement for these terrorists.
“These foreign fighters are from the Sahelian Region. The other contributing factor are the local collaborators that form a support base for these terrorists.
“They serve as informants to the terrorist reporting on troop movement. In spite of the situation, troops are profoundly conscious of their role and responsibility in ending insurgency and terrorism in the nation,” he said.
Buba said that troops might record occasional tactical setbacks but noted that “strategic objective to break the terrorist will to fight remained unhindered”
According to him, defeating an enemy means destroying or breaking his will to fight and the military is achieving this by the cumulative effort of killing their operatives, commanders and senior leadership.
He said the troops had continued to take away the terrorists’ most important assets such as their logistics, administrative and fighting capabilities.
“And of course, we are applying regional and international pressure, as well as engaging the media. All these combine to destroy the terrorist will to fight.
“Wars are fought and won all over the world by destroying the enemy’s will to fight. And we are bent on achieving just that.
“We understand that this war is not a quick fix, but a long and enduring military operation at the end of which these terrorists will be destroyed and we will have a better world.
“Overall, we understand that we all want to be in a different situation, a situation whereby all this insecurity is over and the terrorist is completely eradicated,” he added.
