Nigeria leader tries to rally troops after extremist attacks

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Shocked by a deadly new series of extremist attacks on soldiers, Nigeria's president on Wednesday backed off past declarations that Boko Haram has been defeated and urged the military to "rise to the challenge" and wipe its fighters "from the surface of the earth."

President Muhammadu Buhari addressed security leaders in the turbulent northeast as he faces growing criticism ahead of next year's election over the government's failure to end what he called a "must-win war."

Opposition lawmakers have said a Nov. 18 assault on a military base killed 44 soldiers. The Islamic State West Africa Province, the largest IS-linked extremist group in Africa and a recent Boko Haram offshoot, claimed responsibility.

Buhari, a former military dictator from the north, seeks re-election after making the defeat of the nearly decade-old Islamic insurgency a central goal of his presidency. He told the military chiefs that "I will do everything within my powers to continue empowering you" and vowed to improve soldiers' welfare, to applause.

Soldiers weary of the dangerous operation have at times protested, amid concerns that the global drop in oil prices has hurt funding for military efforts in Nigeria, one of Africa's top producers of crude.

Buhari's high-profile visit to Maiduguri city, the birthplace of Boko Haram, included a visit to troops wounded in the Nov. 18 attack in Metele. Nigeria's government, often reluctant to expose casualty numbers after such attacks, has not said how many soldiers were killed.

The president also announced he was convening a meeting on Thursday in Chad of the heads of state of several nations in the vast Lake Chad region. The meeting will review the security situation and "enhance the capacity" of the regional multinational force combating Boko Haram, his office said.

The military will put in place a "new proactive strategy" to counter the recent losses, the State House cited the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, as saying.

Boko Haram has killed or kidnapped thousands over the years, including the mass abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, and forced scores of children into carrying out suicide bombings.

Even as he acknowledged that the fight against Boko Haram and the IS-linked offshoot was not over, Nigeria's president told the security chiefs that "there has been remarkable improvement" since he took office in 2015.

"We remain committed to ending the crisis in the northeast and making the entire area safe for all," Buhari said. He also urged troops to remain nonpartisan and vigilant as the elections approach.

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Associated Press writer Bashir Adigun in Abuja, Nigeria contributed.

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