Nigerian military is afraid of fighting Boko Haram – US General

The Nigerian military is afraid of engaging the Boko Haram insurgents, the US Air Force Chief of staff, Gen. Mark Welsh III says.
While speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday, Gen. Mark Welsh III questioned the ability of the Nigerian military to rescue the girls even with international help, “We’re now looking at a military force that is, quite frankly, becoming afraid to even engage. The United States doesn’t have the capacity, the capability to go rescue every kidnapped person around the world.”
The Pentagon’s Principal Director for African Affairs, Alice Friend, also said, “The Nigerian military has the same challenges with corruption that every other institution in Nigeria does. Much of the funding that goes to the Nigerian military is skimmed off the top, if you will.”
US officials have also said that its involvement had also been made difficult because Nigerian officials ignored past warnings to soften brutal tactics that only fuelled the Boko Haram’s insurgency.
At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, officials condemned the kidnappings and committed American aid to help rescue the girls. But they also expressed frustration at Nigeria’s political and military leaders for failing to heed Washington’s warnings about the extremist group.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian soldiers have revealed that they are afraid because of their inferior and inadequate weapons. 
According to SaharaReporters “The soldiers’ main complaints have to do with their inferior and inadequate weapons, their poor equipment; their commanders’ seeming focus on making money rather than ensuring that the war is won; disregard for the welfare of soldiers, including the disrespect shown to soldiers who lose their lives in battle, and a lack of leadership from the Defense Ministry.
The soldiers as well as a retired general revealed that the low morale among the soldiers has led to increasing rate of soldiers who abscond from their posts.
“Can you imagine that Boko Haram has better guns than us,” said one of the soldiers based in Mubi, Adamawa State. “When they attack us at night, they have night vision goggles. They have rocket-propelled grenades. And they have vehicles and trucks that are new and very fast,” he added.