The soldiers had already completed two phases of training but Nigeria asked for the programme to be discontinued, a sign that relations between the country and the US have worsened.
A cross section of soldiers (Facebook)
The Nigerian government has stopped the US from further training some its soldiers who were being equipped to combat the Boko Haram menace.
The soldiers had already completed two phases of training but Nigeria asked for the programme to be discontinued, a sign that relations between the country and the US have worsened.
“At the request of the Nigerian government, the United States will discontinue its training of a Nigerian Army battalion,” the US Embassy in Abuja said in a statement.
“Two initial phases of training had already been completed between April and August this year which provided "previously untrained civilian personnel with basic soldiering skills.
A third session had been planned "with the intent of developing the battalion into a unit with advanced infantry skills.”
“We regret premature termination of this training, as it was to be the first in a larger planned project that would have trained additional units with the goal of helping the Nigerian Army build capacity to counter Boko Haram,” the statement added.
The Nigerian government has not commented on the development.
