Outside The Bubble: Boko Haram Terror Persists in Nigeria

By Emma Cummings-Krueger '16 Last updated Feb 9, 2016

In this photo of Thursaday, Oct.21, 2010, Al-Shabaab fighters display weopons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia A failed offensive by Somalia's strongest insurgent group has left at least 20 people dead as the Islamist group attempted to recapture a district in southwestern Somalia from government forces, an official and a witness said Friday. The attempt by al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked Somali militia, to win back a district near Kenya's border left 12 people injured, said local resident Osman Gelle. Gelle said the violence, which started Thursday afternoon, was the worst he had seen in more than a year. Somali government forces took over the Beled-Hawa district last Sunday in an offensive launched to take back areas held by militants. Al-Shabab militants took control of the area in Jan. 2009 after Ethiopian troops, who had entered to support Somalia's transitional government, withdrew from Somalia. The militia group briefly lost control of the town in Aug. 2009 to Ahlu Sunna Waljamea, a moderate Islamist group allied to the government. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

The 2016 presidential race has highlighted the importance of stopping the spread of radi- cal Islamic terrorism in Iraq and Syria and throughout the Middle East. The attacks on our western allies and on our own soil, have increased our attention to ISIS. While the eyes of the our nation focuses on our middle eastern enemy, it is also important to note the rise of another radical Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram.

Boko Haram is a self-proclaimed jihadist terrorist organization primarily active in the region of northeastern Nigeria. Literally translating to “western education is forbidden,” Boko Haram has often been com- pared to the Taliban in terms of religious, Sharia and Islamist, purpose and action. In March of last year, Boko Haram’s leading officials pledged their allegiance to ISIS.

On Saturday night, terrorists loyal to Boko Haram raided a small village in northern Nigeria, setting the village on fire, killing 65 and wounding several more. The terrorists, armed with ma- chine guns and knives, rode into the town on motorcycles, quickly causing havoc to the small Dal- ori Village. According to locals interviewed after the attack, the assault came only minutes after villagers finished their evening prayers.

While several Boko Haram militants opened fire on civilians, others detonated two bombs which “added to our fright and confusion,” one villager said. Local Nigerian media outlets reported that several of the ca- sualties suffered occurred when villagers were burned to death in their homes.

Boko Haram has been committing similar acts of terror since 2003, though the group is suspected to have formed as early as the late 1990s, according to CNN. In late 2003, hundreds of armed militants attacked po- lice stations near Nigeria’s border with Niger, making their pres- ence known in the country.

After several years of dor- mancy, the terror organization resurfaced in July 2009 by killing hundreds of police officers in an event known as the “Boko Haram Uprising. Following the uprising and replacement of prior Boko Haram leadership in late 2009 and early 2010, Boko Haram has committed over 23 acts of terror- ism from September 2010 to the present day. Along with the at- tacks, the group has also released over a dozen propaganda videos in perpetuation of the group.

In 2014, Boko Haram made waves in the international com- munity when militants abducted an estimated 276 teenage girls from a Nigerian boarding school. Hundreds of additional women and girls were kidnapped from northern Nigerian villages in the following months, according to CNN. The event gained traction in the United States when First Lady Michelle Obama and other notable public figures kicked off the #bringbackourgirls hashtag campaign. Following the social media campaign, the US military began to aid Nigerian military troops in large scale effort to rescue the kidnapped victims.