The United States government has urged the Federal Government to protect civilian population as it attempts to flush out insurgents in the north eastern part of the country.
It said such steps were imperative as winning the war against terrorism demanded a holistic approach which must take into account the impact of military operations on the people of the region.
US Assistant Secretary of State, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, spoke during a joint video chat with The US AFRICOM Commander, Gen. David Rodriguez, on American foreign policy and security cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa, which was monitored by our correspondent in Lagos on Wednesday.
Thomas-Greenfiled said it had made Washington’s position known the Federal Government on how best to address the issues of respecting human rights in the fight against terrorism.She added that the American government would continue to engage with civil societies in Nigeria as they approach the issues of human rights of the local population.
She said, “We are very concerned with the impact of Boko Haram in Nigeria and on the borders Nigeria shares with other countries. There are broad development issues in Northern Nigeria including the way the security forces respond to the threats posed Boko Haram.
“Finding a solution to Boko Haram is not all about security operations as the problem involves broad perspectives. The Nigerian government should take into account the impact of its operations on civilian population as security forces go after Boko Haram elements.”
Punch
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