LAGOS
Nigeria has expressed its appreciation for Turkey's decision to designate Boko Haram a terrorist organization – a decision Abuja says is consistent with the global support enjoyed by its counterterrorism initiatives.
"It is certainly a welcome development; the Nigerian government remains appreciative of the expression of support and solidarity that it continues to receive as it wages war against terror within Nigeria and the sub-region," presidential spokesman Reuben Abati told Anadolu Agency.
The Turkish government has decided to add Boko Haram to its list of people, institutions and organizations linked to Al-Qaeda.
The decision was published in Tuesday's official government gazette.
"We welcome that declaration; it is consistent with recent reactions to Boko Haram and its allies," said Abati.
"The more of these [decisions] we have, one message will be sent out very clearly that there will be no hiding place in any part of the world for terrorists – be they Boko Haram or Al-Qaeda or whatever labels with which they call themselves," he added.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in Nigeria's local Hausa language, first emerged in the early 2000s preaching against government misrule and corruption.
The group later became violent, however, after the death of its leader in 2009 while in police custody.
In the five years since, the shadowy sect has been blamed for numerous attacks – on places of worship and government institutions – and thousands of deaths.
In mid-April, Boko Haram militants stormed a high school in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State, loading scores of schoolgirls onto trucks before driving away unchallenged.
-Isolated-
Spokesman Abati said Turkey's decision – along with other acts of global solidarity – would serve to isolate Boko Haram and its allies, including Al-Qaeda.
"What this continued show of support and the isolation of Boko Haram and its allies… shows clearly is that the international community recognizes and appreciates the fact that terror anywhere in the world is an assault on human freedom, an assault on human civilization and is a violation of humanity," he told AA.
Abati went on to say that fighting terrorism would require "concerted action on the part of everybody, every community and every nation to work together to put an end to this threat to the entire world."
He said the Nigerian government was prepared to work with other countries to put an end to the scourge.
Abati added that Nigeria was collaborating with a number of countries – both inside and outside the West Africa region – to identify not just the source of Boko Haram funding but also the weapons they use.
"For you to be able to effectively fight terror in any country, you must first realize that terrorists operate under an international network; that they have incubation centers in different parts of the world; and that they have a network for the supply of arms and ammunition and for funding," he explained.
"So the commitment of Nigeria and its allies is to target the source of arms and ammunition and the source of funding," added the spokesman.
"There is emphasis on intelligence-sharing with other countries, information-sharing and joint effort in terms of tracking the root, the effort and networks of the terrorists," Abati said.
"The belief is that, once this is done, it would be very easy to locate the source of funding, the root of funding and also [the origin] of small arms and ammunition," he added.
www.aa.com.tr/en
