Australian soldiers have joined the fight against Boko Haram terror group which launched a Jihad movement in Nigeria in 2009.
US Military confirmed Australian troops joined a three-week training exercise in Nigeria’s neighbour, Niger, another country besieged by the Islamic militant group.
The drill was staged to help African soldiers fight the bloodthirsty insurgency, which is behind a wave of terror including the slaying of six farmers over the weekend.
The US and Canada also took part in the February training exercises, dubbed Flintlock, in Diffa, on the border of Niger and Nigeria.
A Defence Department spokesman told The Australian the latest exercises were the second time Australian troops had participated in the Flintlock exercises.
The spokesperson described it as “part of our regular international training engagements.
“Such engagements allow the participants to broaden their professional experience and knowledge.”
A statement from the US embassy in Niger described the aim of the exercises as strengthening the ability of African troops to defend their borders.
“Flintlock is a Special Operations Forces exercise geared toward building interoperability between African and western partner nations designed to strengthen the ability of key partner nations in the region to protect their borders and provide security for their people.”
Boko Haram shot to infamy in 2014 with the kidnapping of 276 girls from Nigeria’s northeast, sparking a global campaign #bringbackourgirls.
This month the group, which is openly affiliated with ISIS, released 82 of the kidnapped girls.
They have been responsible for a reign of terror marked by sporadic attacks and suicide bombings.
At least 20,000 people have been killed and more than 2.6 million made homeless in northeast Nigeria since the start of Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency in 2009.
The region is in the grip of severe food shortages, heightening the need of international intervention to thwart the threat of the jihadis.
On Saturday, gunmen on motorcycles killed six farmers preparing fields for the wet season outside the village of Amrawa.
Last month, a village about 30km from Diffa – where the exercises are being carried out – was attacked by Boko Haram fighters wielding rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 rifles.
Niger troops killed 57 of the militants but 15 soldiers and two civilians were wounded.
