Inside Special Forces: Nigeria’s Most-feared Fighting Unit

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Extreme times call for extreme methods, goes the phrase. So, with the growing brazenness of terror group Boko Haram in the North-East, the Nigerian government proceeded to create a Special Forces unit, a team of elite military personnel trained for extreme battle scenarios. Trained in an Eastern European country, the troops, drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, make up a fierce fighting force that is proving to be effective in necessary areas.

What makes the Special Forces unit such a dangerous, effective one? A military insider disclosed that some reasons are intense martial arts and survival training, sophisticated weapons handling and the array of tech at their disposal. “Without giving away too much,” the source said, “The Nigerian Special Forces are not personnel to be trifled with, by anyone.”

No easy job
Their reputation grows by the day, too, with captured insurgents revealing that Boko Haram commanders often issuing stern warnings to their fighters to avoid run-ins with the Special Forces unit troops. A Defence source even attributes that to the doggedness of the men in pursuing, sometimes even hunting, insurgents and engaging them. He offered an anecdote, wherein a group of Boko Haram terrorists where approaching and the men grabbed their weapons and kit and cheerfully engaged the insurgents in a brief but victorious encounter.

The nature of their operation makes it impossible to be reported in the mainstream, owing to the tradition worldwide which sees Special Forces units’ activities cloaked in secrecy. It is that mystery, however, which additionally makes them effective, according to military experts.

The unit, also, played a key part in the dislodgement of Boko Haram from once-dreaded Sambisa Forest.
Security insiders told Daily Trust that there has never been any doubt on the capabilities of Nigerian officers and soldiers.

“We all know the issues have to do with training and equipment,” one said, adding that the coming of the Special Forces unit has proven once again that the Nigerian military is up to the task.

In the beginning
The Special Forces unit first assembled in Bauchi, from where they were escorted to Borno State, where the need for their unique skill sets was dire. When they arrived, the Bama axis was too hot, so they were deployed there and were said to have performed effectively. During those particular operations, they were constantly on the offensive, in many cases sending insurgents running.The Special Forces were so effective that observers mistook them for the mercenaries said to have been hired by the government of the day, probably because they wore uniforms which looked nothing like the civilian populace had seen before. They are also known for using the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, as well as being instrumental in weakening and dislodging many Boko Haram camps in Borno State. In addition, they operate in Yobe and Adamawa states.

Secret wars
When Daily Trust requested information regarding the Special Forces unit, Army Spokesman Colonel Sani Usman responded thus: “No country discloses information about its Special Forces, Nigeria inclusive.” But he added that the nation does have such a unit fighting terrorists alongside their colleagues, “and they are doing creditably well.”

Colonel Usman also stressed the need to remember the efforts of regular troops on ground in the North-East. “The fight against terrorism in Nigeria is a collective responsibility among the Armed Forces, the police and other security forces,” he added.

Sources in Maiduguri also commended the present administration. “Our military personnel are certainly better-equipped now, with higher morale. But more needs to be done,” one source said.

Special circumstances
Special forces and special operations forces are military units trained to perform unconventional missions. Special Forces, as they would come to be recognised, emerged in the early 20th century, with a significant growth in the field during the Second World War. Depending on the country, a Special Forces unit may perform some of the following functions: airborne operations, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, covert ops, direct action, hostage rescue, high-value targets/manhunting, intelligence operations, mobility operations, and unconventional warfare.

Special Forces have played an important role throughout the history of warfare, whenever the aim was to achieve disruption by “hit and run” and sabotage, rather than more traditional conventional combat. Other significant roles lay in reconnaissance, providing essential intelligence from near or among the enemy and increasingly in combating irregular forces, their infrastructure and activities.

Special Forces have been used in both wartime and peacetime military operations such as the Laotian Civil War, 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, Vietnam War, South African Border War, Falklands War, the Iranian Embassy siege (London), the Japanese Embassy hostage crisis (Lima), and the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.

End in sight?
A Nigerian Army source told Daily Trust that while the activities of the Special Forces unit in the North-East are heartwarming, lessons need to be learnt. “While the government has tried in the area of equipment, there are some basic things that are still missing. Borno is an operation area. Go round Maiduguri and see our soldiers. Majority of them do not have helmets and bulletproof vests. That is not how it should be.”

The source noted that while many places have been liberated, soldiers still mount roadblocks because there are mines and other explosive devices all over the place.
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Training, equipping and maintaining military personnel is not cheap, but Nigeria should learn to maintain a good fighting force. We have gallant soldiers who require refresher trainings and sophisticated equipment, bringing them up to par with any army in the world,” the source said.

Source: Daily Trust