By Harriet Tornguvan
Defence attachés from the United Kingdom and Germany have reiterated their countries’ commitment to strengthening cooperation with Nigeria in the ongoing fight against terrorism and insurgency, during a visit to the Headquarters of the Theatre Command, Operation HADIN KAI, in Maiduguri.
The visiting officials, Brigadier Tom Harper of the United Kingdom and Colonel Boris Bovecamp of Germany gave the assurance during what military authorities described as a landmark engagement with the Joint Task Force in the North-East.
According to a statement by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Brigadier Harper stressed the long standing relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, anchored on mutual respect and shared values including democracy, rule of law and human rights.
He commended the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces in combating terrorism in the region and pledged continued British support, particularly through expanded training programmes under the British Military Advisory and Training Team.
Similarly, the German Defence Attaché, Colonel Bovecamp, said his visit was aimed at identifying new areas for collaboration, especially in capacity building and regional cooperative initiatives designed to improve operational effectiveness and strengthen the collective effort to defeat insurgency.
The statement also added that, the Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, applauded the contributions of both countries to Nigeria’s counter insurgency campaign. He noted that foreign supported training initiatives had significantly improved troops’ operational skills and readiness in addressing evolving security threats.
The commander also identified potential areas for deeper cooperation, including technical support, equipment provision and logistics assistance.
The visit featured the signing of the visitors’ register, exchange of souvenirs and a group photograph.
