Highlights:
United States’ FBI agents alongside other security agencies are conducting simultaneous training for African countries’ police forces to equip them with adaptable skills to fight the Jihadi threat.
Some of the major training fields include forensics which is equipping the police with evidence gathering techniques and crime scene handling.
The need to give rigorous and specialized training to the police comes as ISIS and AQIM launch a series of attacks in West African Countries.
Summary:
US experts have revealed the three main reasons why attacks in Africa are becoming rampant especially those orchestrated by Jihadis go unpunished is because of:
- Lack of intelligence sharing among states
- Poor or absent cross-border cooperation
- Capacity to respond to attacks or information in a timely manner
Following sophistication of weaponry and tactics by the militants, the US through some of its security like the military and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has embarked on a mission to train the African States’ police force to best equip them to fight the jihadis.
The techniques being taught to the police force help the police become adaptable to the emerging trend and sophistication of the terrorists in executing their attacks.
Forensics is one of the key areas the police are receiving training in. they are training on crime scene handling and exhaustive evidence gathering to ensure that all evidence is collected and preserved.
Drones operation is yet another area that the US is offering that are used either as assault drones or reconnaissance.
Additionally the US plans to set up the first of many ‘intelligence fusion’ centers that will cut across the continents north, west and east areas. This center will be in Chad and will help the countries contributing troops to fight Boko Haram to share sensitive information at a secure location.
Experts have however echoed the need to squash geopolitical rivalry to ensure the success of such like projects as training the police and equipping them will only work if it is doubled with geopolitical cooperation especially in tracking and apprehending cross-border terrorists.
