Gen. James Hecker, Commander of the U.S. Air Forces, Europe and Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), says the U.S. Air Force will carry out airstrikes against terrorist targets across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hecker stated this at a digital news conference while attending the 2025 African Air Chiefs\u2019 Symposium (AACS), on Wednesday in Lusaka, Zambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the digital conference was organised to enable Gen. Hecker to discuss U.S. commitments to military partnerships with African nations and AACS operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hecker said terrorist groups like ISIS were high-value targets that threatened African nations and the U.S., and would be targeted by the U.S, as it did against ISIS in Somalia recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey are significant high-value targets that threaten African nations and threaten the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo we will continue to go after terrorist organisations that threaten our African partners as well as the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hecker said that the U.S. was willing to collaborate with African air forces, not only by way of security support, but also through humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Boko Haram insurgency, and how the U.S. Air Force can help the Nigerian military achieve air superiority over the terrorists, he said the U.S. had already been supporting Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, I think as you know, the U.S. Government has provided training and equipment to Nigeria for quite a while, so hopefully that will help them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut what we\u2019re looking at in this conference is not that. We\u2019re not talking about air superiority or conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re talking about how we can help each other \u2013 African nations can help one another \u2013 and that\u2019s what the goal of this conference is,\u201d Hecker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also speaking, Zambia\u2019s Air Force Commander, Lt.-Gen. Oscar Nyoni, gave an insight into the symposium and how AACS member states would respond to humanitarian needs, if a disaster struck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, with AACS, humanitarian\/disaster needs like foodstuff, logistics, supplies and aerial vehicles will be easily provided by member states contributing whatever they are able to contribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemember, we are an air force \u2013 we are air forces that have come together, and with our friends from the U.S. and all the other member-states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt becomes easier for logistics to come on board and makes it easy for the one who is in trouble to be assisted. The more the numbers, the better for us,\u201d Nyoni said(NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gen. James Hecker, Commander of the U.S. Air Forces, Europe and Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), says the U.S. Air Force will carry out airstrikes against terrorist targets across Africa. Hecker stated this<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_rishi_post_view_count":164},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","rishi-post"],"rishi__cb_customizer_meta":"","comments_count":"0","yoast_head":"\n