@Morch:

Mike Hoare's 5 Commando mercs very effectively dealt with the Simba uprising in the Congo, after which they were paid off and disbanded. Ever since hearing of the Boko Haram capturing those 200 school girls I been thinking...where are the mercs? Back in the 50s/60s/70s a mercenary force would have been formed to hunt out and exterminate Boko Haram and rescue those school girls. The Nigerian military appear to be hopeless in preventing Boko Haram attacks, no foreign military is going to intervene, so as far as I can see the only solution is for a merc force to be formed.

Now instead on nit-picking holes in what I say how about proposing a solution yourself to a gravely serious problem that is not going to go away by itself and will only grow stronger as each day passes.

Who foots the bill? Mercs gotta get paid.

When this thing about the kidnapped girls made the international news this year Goodluck sent his wife up north to talk to the clown who was making those videos. She told him he was embarrassing the regime, knock if off. Negotiate for the release of the girls? Terms of surrender? Threats to put down the rebellion or we'll kick your arse? No way. More likely she tried to get him to reveal his bank account number (we're talking Nigeria here ).

So, if some military guys went up there "as a good deed," sent Boka Haram to paradise, then what? Hand the country over to a scum bucket like J. Goodluck?

@Morch:

Mike Hoare's 5 Commando mercs very effectively dealt with the Simba uprising in the Congo, after which they were paid off and disbanded. Ever since hearing of the Boko Haram capturing those 200 school girls I been thinking...where are the mercs? Back in the 50s/60s/70s a mercenary force would have been formed to hunt out and exterminate Boko Haram and rescue those school girls. The Nigerian military appear to be hopeless in preventing Boko Haram attacks, no foreign military is going to intervene, so as far as I can see the only solution is for a merc force to be formed.

Now instead on nit-picking holes in what I say how about proposing a solution yourself to a gravely serious problem that is not going to go away by itself and will only grow stronger as each day passes.

I would say Mike Hoare might not be the best example - both on mercenary conduct and the ease with which they are demobilized and disbanded -

The mercenaries, led by "Mad Mike" Hoare and mostly whites from central and southern Africa, were formed into a unit known as 5 Commando ANC. 5 Commando served as the spearhead of the ANC, but were known for widespread unsanctioned killing, torture, looting and mass rapes in

recaptured rebel areas. In a press interview, Hoare himself described his men as "appalling thugs"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis#Suppression_and_Belgian_and_American_intervention

The very same Hoare led the botched Seychelles coup d'etat attempt some years down the road.

Main reason we don't see anything of the sort is because the violence in Nigeria is mostly directed at locals. Unless there will be a concrete threat to Nigeria's existence (and probably more important for the powers that be - a threat to related economic interests), nothing much will be done about it. Congo back then was, apart from other things, another playground of Cold War era.

National troops are better equipped, better trained, better supported in almost every relevant aspect. Using mercenaries only relative advantages are easier media and public opinion management due to probable perceptions regarding casualties among "our boys" (well, at least up to a point), and the "gloves off" element (which considering media coverage and public opinion, may end up being a liability - with the ones doing the hiring seen as bearing responsibility).

Not nitpicking your post, just think the notion is ludicrous. As said in earlier posts, there are no magic solutions to either Boko Haram nor IS. These things take time, and happy ending is not assured.

Considering the Western reluctance to get entangled in yet another prolonged land war cum occupation, the current actions represent what can be done. No question that the West can apply more of the same, or that there are certain measures not being fully applied at this point (increased selective use of ground troops, better coordination among the forces fighting IS and curbing IS's various supply lines).

I can see the reason a lot of these guys join ISIS when you read about the fact that they kidnap and rape young schoolgirls ,after all they are just following their Prophet who liked a young one as his wife was only 6 and the marriage was consumated when she was 9 ,you only have to read what is written by their spiritual leaders about sex with little girls and that if they are too young for penetration it is ok to "Thigh" very young children , disgusting practices from a religion that is still at the point that it was invented ,

I read that some ISIS fighters have been hospitalized in Mosul with suspected cases of Ebola, what poetic justice if the science hating Islamopithicenes succumb to a deadly virus. Simply quarantine the whole area and save money on munitions.

I read that some ISIS fighters have been hospitalized in Mosul with suspected cases of Ebola, what poetic justice if the science hating Islamopithicenes succumb to a deadly virus. Simply quarantine the whole area and save money on munitions.

I am not a big fan of the use of quarantine for controlling disease, but I will definitely make an exception in this case.

I read that some ISIS fighters have been hospitalized in Mosul with suspected cases of Ebola, what poetic justice if the science hating Islamopithicenes succumb to a deadly virus. Simply quarantine the whole area and save money on munitions.

Just a simple matter of making Ebola identify who's an IS operative and who's a civilian which had the misfortune of coming under their rule.

This appears to be a good example of why reading (and understanding) the fine print in the Terms & Conditions can be important in a later stage of your contract.....................

Strange that i feel apathy here.

@ Morch:

The Simbas were butchering everybody in sight, raping Belgium nuns, sticking machettes up nun's vaginas. Nobody had the balls to go anywhere near the situation to put a stop to it except Mike Hoare and his team of mercs. Sure there were some bad bastards in 5 Commando, what do you expect to send in to stop the Simba butchery: a PC band of Little Lord Fauntleroys respecting the Simba's civil rights? Mike put together a band of cold-blooded killers to do a very dirty job. And that's what's needed today to exterminate Boko Haram & IS.

BTW: Yes, Mike screwed up on the Seychelles coup d'etat, he was getting old by that time and should have retired gracefully. But let's not forget the splendid job he did in the Congo. If you get a chance to read Congo Mercenary do so, a wonderful book written by an old style warrior. Such a shame the mold that produced men like Mike Hoare and Colin Campbell Mitchell appears to no longer exist.

@Morch:

Mike Hoare's 5 Commando mercs very effectively dealt with the Simba uprising in the Congo, after which they were paid off and disbanded. Ever since hearing of the Boko Haram capturing those 200 school girls I been thinking...where are the mercs? Back in the 50s/60s/70s a mercenary force would have been formed to hunt out and exterminate Boko Haram and rescue those school girls. The Nigerian military appear to be hopeless in preventing Boko Haram attacks, no foreign military is going to intervene, so as far as I can see the only solution is for a merc force to be formed.

Now instead on nit-picking holes in what I say how about proposing a solution yourself to a gravely serious problem that is not going to go away by itself and will only grow stronger as each day passes.

I would say Mike Hoare might not be the best example - both on mercenary conduct and the ease with which they are demobilized and disbanded -

The mercenaries, led by "Mad Mike" Hoare and mostly whites from central and southern Africa, were formed into a unit known as 5 Commando ANC. 5 Commando served as the spearhead of the ANC, but were known for widespread unsanctioned killing, torture, looting and mass rapes in

recaptured rebel areas. In a press interview, Hoare himself described his men as "appalling thugs"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis#Suppression_and_Belgian_and_American_intervention

The very same Hoare led the botched Seychelles coup d'etat attempt some years down the road.

Main reason we don't see anything of the sort is because the violence in Nigeria is mostly directed at locals. Unless there will be a concrete threat to Nigeria's existence (and probably more important for the powers that be - a threat to related economic interests), nothing much will be done about it. Congo back then was, apart from other things, another playground of Cold War era.

National troops are better equipped, better trained, better supported in almost every relevant aspect. Using mercenaries only relative advantages are easier media and public opinion management due to probable perceptions regarding casualties among "our boys" (well, at least up to a point), and the "gloves off" element (which considering media coverage and public opinion, may end up being a liability - with the ones doing the hiring seen as bearing responsibility).

Not nitpicking your post, just think the notion is ludicrous. As said in earlier posts, there are no magic solutions to either Boko Haram nor IS. These things take time, and happy ending is not assured.

Considering the Western reluctance to get entangled in yet another prolonged land war cum occupation, the current actions represent what can be done. No question that the West can apply more of the same, or that there are certain measures not being fully applied at this point (increased selective use of ground troops, better coordination among the forces fighting IS and curbing IS's various supply lines).

Just saw on BBC news that these better equipped, better trained & better supported national troops from Nigeria, Cameroon & Chad threw down their arms and ran away in fear when Boko Haram over ran their bases yesterday. If anyone's really concerned about putting an end to Boko Haram they better start requiting some cold-blooded white mercs.

It seems ISIS has become a sort of Roach Motel for foreign jihadists. "Foreign fighters check in, but they don't check out".

@Morch:

Mike Hoare's 5 Commando mercs very effectively dealt with the Simba uprising in the Congo, after which they were paid off and disbanded. Ever since hearing of the Boko Haram capturing those 200 school girls I been thinking...where are the mercs? Back in the 50s/60s/70s a mercenary force would have been formed to hunt out and exterminate Boko Haram and rescue those school girls. The Nigerian military appear to be hopeless in preventing Boko Haram attacks, no foreign military is going to intervene, so as far as I can see the only solution is for a merc force to be formed.

Now instead on nit-picking holes in what I say how about proposing a solution yourself to a gravely serious problem that is not going to go away by itself and will only grow stronger as each day passes.

I would say Mike Hoare might not be the best example - both on mercenary conduct and the ease with which they are demobilized and disbanded -

The mercenaries, led by "Mad Mike" Hoare and mostly whites from central and southern Africa, were formed into a unit known as 5 Commando ANC. 5 Commando served as the spearhead of the ANC, but were known for widespread unsanctioned killing, torture, looting and mass rapes in

recaptured rebel areas. In a press interview, Hoare himself described his men as "appalling thugs"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis#Suppression_and_Belgian_and_American_intervention

The very same Hoare led the botched Seychelles coup d'etat attempt some years down the road.

Main reason we don't see anything of the sort is because the violence in Nigeria is mostly directed at locals. Unless there will be a concrete threat to Nigeria's existence (and probably more important for the powers that be - a threat to related economic interests), nothing much will be done about it. Congo back then was, apart from other things, another playground of Cold War era.

National troops are better equipped, better trained, better supported in almost every relevant aspect. Using mercenaries only relative advantages are easier media and public opinion management due to probable perceptions regarding casualties among "our boys" (well, at least up to a point), and the "gloves off" element (which considering media coverage and public opinion, may end up being a liability - with the ones doing the hiring seen as bearing responsibility).

Not nitpicking your post, just think the notion is ludicrous. As said in earlier posts, there are no magic solutions to either Boko Haram nor IS. These things take time, and happy ending is not assured.

Considering the Western reluctance to get entangled in yet another prolonged land war cum occupation, the current actions represent what can be done. No question that the West can apply more of the same, or that there are certain measures not being fully applied at this point (increased selective use of ground troops, better coordination among the forces fighting IS and curbing IS's various supply lines).

Just saw on BBC news that these better equipped, better trained & better supported national troops from Nigeria, Cameroon & Chad threw down their arms and ran away in fear when Boko Haram over ran their bases yesterday. If anyone's really concerned about putting an end to Boko Haram they better start requiting some cold-blooded white mercs.

I don't recall saying anything specific about the outstanding capabilities of these three African armies and their soldiers. The reference, obviously, was for first world trained and equipped armies.

There is a topic dealing with this latest incident, here is a post touching upon the issue of foreign intervention:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/788945-extremists-kidnap-40-males-in-northern-nigeria/#entry8894406

Cheers for the link Morch.

Dose 'em.