The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), has organized a three-day counter terrorism seminar for Junior and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers aimed at exposing troops to current trends in terrorism and counter terrorism at the Jungle Warfare School (JWS) at Achiase in the Eastern Region.

The seminar organized by GAF, also afforded the officers the opportunity to make meaningful contributions and share ideas among themselves in the fight against terrorism.

In a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday signed by Lieutenant Colonel E. Aggrey Quashie, GAF Director of Public Relations said, the seminar was also used to alert Ghanaians and officers of the GAF about the recurrent reports of terrorism attacks in various West African countries, especially the recurrent reports of Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria.

The statement said Lt. Gen. Augustine Peter Blay, Chief of Defence Staff, addressing the troops after the seminar noted that the recurrent reports of terrorism attacks in some African countries was a wake up call to GAF and Ghanaians in general that terrorism was not only limited to Europe and Americans alone.

Lt. Gen Blay was quoted to have stressed that the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria should inform Ghanaians that terrorism was getting closer to the country's borders. “We should all sit up and act like the proverbial wise bearded man who kept a bucket of water close at hand when his neighbor’s beard was on fire”.

Lt. Gen. Blay, according to the statement, commended the facilitators for their initiative in organizing the seminar and congratulated the participants for the keen interest showed during the seminar and how well they went about their various presentation, and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity given them and put what they had learnt to practice should the need arise.

The statement said Maj. Gen. Joseph Narh Adinkra, Chief of Army Staff also exposed the military personnel to challenges posed by the emerging threats of global terrorism, and in particular, recent terrorist activities within the West African sub-region including piracy on the high seas.

"It is imperative not only to create awareness but more importantly, to put in counter measures as well as define appropriate responses," he said.

Maj. Gen. Adinkrah according to the statement pointed out that Ghana as an oil producing country now, was thus highly susceptible to the potential menace of piracy on the high sea, and that the possibility of terrorist activities against the emerging oil industry’s inland infrastructure was high.

The statement said Lt. Gen. Adinkra added that it was his hope that all participants would be equipped with the rudiments of the threats of terrorism and counter terrorism to be able to impart same to their colleagues back in their various units.

The statement said the participants were drawn from the various units within GAF and were made up of Lieutenants and Captains (Army) and their equivalents and other ranks.

Topics treated during the three-day seminar included, terrorism; the elements of counter terrorism policy; intelligence support to combat counter terrorism; intelligence process; Boko Haram in Nigeria; Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM); Al Shabab in Somalia and the Lords Resistance Army In Uganda.**