Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist terror group with ties to al Qaeda, continues its campaign of terror in northeastern Nigeria. The jihadist group, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, attacked the village of Gamburu in Borno state.
Reuters reports that “scores of gunmen … surrounded Gamburu before dawn on Monday” and then “sprayed automatic gunfire around the market town, which was crowded with traders gathering before the heat of the day.”
“Witnesses said they burned down houses and, in some cases, slit people’s throats,” the Reuters report continued. At least 125 people, mostly civilians, are thought to have been killed. Casualties may be far higher; Punch reports that more than 300 have been killed.
Boko Haram has been tearing through the northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa since the beginning of the year. Hundreds of fighters have been massing to attack villages, towns, and military units in the region. Many of the attacks have occurred in towns along the border with Cameroon.
In one massacre in February, Boko Haram butchered and burned students alive during an assault on a college. In December 2013, Boko Haram fighters overran an Air Force base in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno. Recently, Boko Haram has also kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls and recently threatened to sell them. Nigeria’s government, military, police, and intelligence services have been powerless to stop the jihadist group.
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1 Comment
Looks like they’re bored with blowing up police stations, churches and the army and now focusing on civilians and kidnapping girls from schools.