Iran to Offer Help to Nigeria in Fighting Boko Haram Insurgency

Iran, on Saturday announced plans to assist Nigeria and other African countries in fighting against the Boko Haram sect, as part of its contribution for global peace.

The country’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Amir Hossein Abdollohian made the announcement while addressing the press on Saturday as part of the ongoing 24th Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa.

Abdollohian described the onslaught of the Boko Haram extremists and that of Al-Shabaab in the Somalia as similar to that of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in the Middle East.
“Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al-Shabaab in the Horn of Africa are similar with Al-Qaeda and ISIS in parts of the Middle East using similar methods of operations to cause havoc to the people of the two regions. Iran is therefore willing to use its experience in dealing with terror groups to assist in combatting these groups in Africa.”The envoy said his country was willing to share its experiences on terrorist activities it gathered over the years in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and other parts of the Middle East with Africa, particularly Nigeria and Somalia, as part of efforts to ensure global peace.

According to him, Iran had opened consultation with the African Union to offer its contribution to the affected countries in the coming days.