War against Boko Haram and the introduction of CJTF Horse Operation Team.
The Civilian Joint Task Force as of today serves as the backbone of Borno State’s anti-Boko Haram defenses, winning plaudits from Nigerians both inside and outside the country.
Because they are from the area and have local intelligence, CJTF members have been of great assistance to the military.
The majority of day-to-day security in Maiduguri and the surrounding refugee camps is provided by CJTF members who guard market entrances or sit behind sandbag barricades with machetes, muskets, bows and arrows, and, of course, their firearms.
Because CJTF members are drawn from the communities they seek to defend, they make it more difficult for Boko Haram to infiltrate cities, towns, and villages.
Despite their (CJTF) efforts to put a stop to the national security threat posed by Boko Haram, the rebels’ strongholds are located in rural areas where the terrains are inaccessible by vehicles.
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As a result, the addition of the CJTF Horse Operation Team will increase offensive capability by providing the CJTF with previously unmatched mobility on the battlefield and in the military theater of operations.
Mounted troops can quickly assemble for a major attack on the enemy or disperse into smaller units that attack from an unexpected direction before disappearing over the horizon.
The crucial function and significant contribution of vast numbers of animals participating in wars cannot be denied by history.
There appears to be no creature that is too small or too enormous to qualify for the military.
Horses, however, are the most famous of war animals, having drawn chariots and carried troops into battle since antiquity.
It’s impossible to exaggerate the value of these naturally calm herbivores, whose natural response to threat is flight but whose role in wars and conflicts are critical.
Military technologies based on horses, such as chariotry, mounted archery, and armored cavalry, revolutionized warfare in Eurasia during the Ancient and Medieval eras, as well as in the Americas after the horse was brought there by Europeans during the Early Modern era.
Horses were only surpassed as a supreme weapon of war by ships in naval warfare and elephants in the jungles of India and Southeast Asia until the invention of gunpowder.
The CJTF Horse Operation Team will deploy these carefully trained horses in its operations against Boko Haram terrorists, particularly in the rugged and vast terrains of the northeast.
The horses will allow the CJTF to travel more quickly in order to face the issues of insecurity in the hinterlands, where motor vehicles are unable to reach and foot patrols are difficult.
For more than ten years, Northern Nigeria has been under siege by Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani herdsmen, and armed robbers.
Insurgents frequently use steep terrains that are inaccessible by cars to launch fatal attacks on the local population.
With the induction of the CJTF Horse Operation Team, mounted troops could scout ahead to survey targets or potential areas for establishing a temporary camp.
The horses might be used to transport troops or small amounts of equipment between forward bases, listening posts, and ambush positions.
The tasks of the CJTF Horse Operation Team are still primarily focused on scouting ahead of bigger formations and giving additional situational awareness of the battlefield and potential chokepoints. Terrorists and militants fleeing from military bombardment can easily be pursued or cut off by the horses.
Photo Credit: CJTF Borno Facebook Page.
