John Kerry’s Advise Nigeria On Handling Of Extremists

United States of America’s Secretary of State, John Kerry, made a two-day whistle-stop in Nigeria penultimate Monday and Tuesday. His itinerary included a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Northern governors and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad III. 

Many Northern governors who had eagerly looked forward to his visit were hoping he would unfold some goodies that could increase American investment, especially in agriculture and mining in their respective states, and some military and humanitarian assistance in the fight against the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency. But at a media briefing in Sokoto, Kerry chose to advise Nigeria not to use strong-arm tactics in dealing with Boko Haram and other extremist groups disturbing the peace and stability of the country. 

The AFP quoted him as saying: “In the wake of terrorist activity, some are tempted to crack down on anyone and everyone. But extremism can’t be defeated through repression or fear. Fear instilled through repression invites not confidence but contempt, it creates terrorists.” 

Many commentators descended on the top diplomat, accusing America of being up to its old diplomatic hypocrisy. They pointed out America’s adventures in terror-stricken Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Libya and other countries where America employed severe force in pursuit of Islamist terrorists, which culminated in the dethronement of several regimes and the death of Saddam Hussein, Muamar Gadhaffi, and Osama bin Laden. 

They pointed to America’s refusal to assist Nigeria when the Boko Haram insurgency went out of hand and they started acquiring territories for their “Islamic caliphate” and the bad international image that Amnesty International (AI) tried to portray of our country. AI seemed more interested in alleged violations of the human rights of the terrorists than the heinous crimes the latter were perpetrating. 

As much as we agree that America has not demonstrated genuine friendship with Nigeria since the Boko Haram phenomenon started in 2009, we still believe that Kerry’s message was useful. It is especially more so in the face of an established track record of harassment of civilian populations by our troops in areas where they are involved in military operations. When you treat every young man as a terrorist or extremist, it does not help the search for peace. 

It only worsens situations. The military must take more care to sift the wheat from chaff and ensure that innocent Nigerians are protected, not victimised. That way, they will be more willing to cooperate and abandon their sympathy for the enemies of the country. 

It is important for the armed forces and the local population in operational zones to work together. Our gallant forces are here to defend us and the nation, so it pays to cooperate with them.

SOURCE: Vanguardngr

Brussels Terrorist Attack: Many Dead as Airport and Metro hit by explossions

Two explosions have hit Brussels' Zaventem airport, killing up to 13 people and injuring dozens, hospital sources told local media.

Shortly after the airport blasts on Tuesday morning, an explosion also struck the Maelbeek metro station in the centre of the Belgian capital, killing 15 people, Belgian media reported. The station is close to European Union institutions.

The Belgian federal prosecutor told state media the explosion at the airport was a suicide attack.

Footage from the airport - the country's largest - showed people running from the terminal building as plumes of smoke rose to the sky.

The powerful blasts caused parts of the ceiling to fall down and windows were shattered.

All metro lines were shut down after the attacks. Witnesses at the Maelbeek station said people with blood on their faces were seen at the scene. 

Ian McCafferty, a witness at the station, said the blast happened during busy rush hour traffic.

"People started running when they saw smoke coming," he said. "The point of these attacks is to make you live in fear, but I refuse to."

The interior ministry raised the country's terror alert to the highest level after the blasts and Brussels' crisis centre told people: "Stay where you are".

The interior minister said 600 additional police had been deployed.
Reuters news agency said shots were fired before the explosions at the airport. 

Local media reported the blasts happened near the American Airlines counter as hundreds of people were checking in.

"When I heard the first explosion, lots of people started screaming and running," Tom, an intern working at the airport, told Al Jazeera. "When I heard the second explosion, which was about 30 seconds after the first one, everything got chaotic. I could see panic on everyone’s face, blood on their bodies."

Police were clearing the area of stranded passengers, some in shock.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called for unity in a news conference.

"We are facing a difficult, challenging time and we should face up to this challenge by being united," he said.

“What we feared has happened, we were hit by blind attacks." 

The country had been on high alert since the arrest in Brussels last week of Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in last November's Paris attacks that left 130 people dead. 

Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon said on Monday the country was aware of the risk of a possible revenge attack following the capture of the 26-year-old.

"We know that stopping one cell can ... push others into action. We are aware of it in this case," he told public radio.

SOURCE: Aljazeera.com