Some 12 soldiers from the U.S. Army have trained Nigerian troops on a six-week advice-and-assist mission in Jaji, Kaduna State, Pentagon has said.
The U.S. Department of Defence said Nigerian Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion might be the next to deploy to Northeast to confront the violent extremist organisation, Boko Haram.
The department, while documenting some accounts of the U.S. soldiers during the training said it was important to prepare the Nigerian troops for the threats they faced from the terrorists.
Sgt. Saul Rodriguez, the most experienced of the 12 U.S. soldiers said “even in triple-digit heat and with AK-47 automatic rifles in hand, it’s easy to forget these soldiers are likely headed into imminent danger”.
“My job is to train you as much as I can. Your job is to fight the bad guys out of your country,” Pentagon quoted Rodriguez as shouting to a group of soldiers demonstrating their best cover and concealment efforts behind Jaji’s bushes and trees. Read more