... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
since the start of a four-nation military offensive, voicing hope that the operation could lead to the group's "total defeat".
| Lovely what a bit of competition from the neighbours can drive an army to accomplish... |
Crucial "co-operations and alliances" have led to victories over the Salafist tough guys, he said, thanking neighboring Cameroon
...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there...
, Chad and Niger for cutting off "the supply lines of the terrorists".
"It is hoped that the unfolding regional cooperation will hasten the total defeat and extermination of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the sub-region," he added.
Since the unprecedented joint offensive was launched last month, Nigeria has maintained that its troops were controlling operations.
But witnesses, experts and claims by other militaries indicate that Chadian troops have made a particularly large contribution, advancing deep into Nigerian territory and flushing Boko Haram fighters out of several parts of Borno state.
| Hammer and anvil, beaters and shooters... who cares, so long as it works! |
The reported successes, which have not all been independently verified, may allow more people to vote across Boko Haram's northeast stronghold.
As a result, President
Goodluck Jonathan... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
's re-election chances could improve if voters feel he has finally taken decisive action against the rebels.
The conflict has killed more than 13,000 people since 2009, and critics have accused Jonathan and military top brass of failing to contain the violence.
The fighting has displaced more than 1.5 million people in Nigeria but Omeri claimed that some were "now returning to their homesteads to settle back into normal life".
There was however no independent confirmation of significant numbers of displaced people returning home and Nigeria's claims about the conflict have in the past not been consistent with reports from the ground.
The International Committee for the Red Thingy on Tuesday warned of a "full blown humanitarian crisis" in the Lake Chad region, where Nigeria meets Niger, Chad and Cameroon.