U.S. set to provide $5 million for anti-Boko Haram force

Reuters

U.S. set to provide $5 million for anti-Boko Haram force. PHOTOS: White House.gov

The United States plans to provide five million US dollars to help support a regional military force fighting Nigeria's Islamist militant group Boko Haram, a state department official said on Tuesday.
(READ MORE: Nigeria’s Buhari meets peers to hammer out boko haram force)
Boko Haram last year held a vast swathe of territory in northeastern Nigeria of just over 30,000 square kilometers (11,500 square miles), about the size of Belgium. The militants have since been beaten back but are still blamed for isolated attacks such as in Chad's capital on Monday where at least 27 people were killed.
The United States is already providing bilateral aid
to Chad, Niger and Cameroon for logistics and other equipment worth about 34 million US dollars, the official said.
(READ MORE: U.S. backs UN resolution on boko haram regional force)
The additional funding for the new force, composed of troops from Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin, will be channelled via the African Union.