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NIGERIA’S MILITARY HAS called for support in tackling Boko Haram after a major attack on a key northeast town that is feared could be the worst in the bloody six-year insurgency.
There are still no independently corroborated figures for the huge numbers said to have been killed in Baga, on the shores of Lake Chad in the far north of Borno State.
But defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement issued late yesterday that the description of the assault as “the deadliest” was “quite valid”.
The attack on the town by the bloodhounds and their activities since January 3rd, 2015 should convince well-meaning people all over the world that Boko Haram is the evil all must collaborate to end, rather than vilifying those working to check them.
Insurgents seized a key military base in Baga on 3 January, and the town was attacked again on Wednesday.
Nigeria’s military — West Africa’s largest — has faced repeated criticism for failing to end the six-year Islamist insurgency, as well as allegations of human rights abuses.
Soldiers have complained of a lack of adequate weapons and even refused to deploy to take on the better-armed rebels, who want to create a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.
With elections set for next month, Nigeria’s government has also been accused of playing politics with the insurgency, as most of the areas worst affected by the violence are main opposition strongholds.
But Olukolade said:
The Nigerian military has not given up on Baga and other localities where terrorist activities are now prevalent.
“Appropriate plans, men and resources are presently being mobilised to address the situation,” he said on defenceinfo.mil.ng, in the military’s first detailed comment on last weekend’s attack.
The military and government often makes such statements, without giving specific details, yet there are reports of attacks on an almost daily basis.
An Amnesty International statement said there were reports the town was razed and that as many as 2,000 people killed.
Two explosions rocked northeast Nigeria yesterday, including one by a suicide bomber at a crowded market in the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, by a young girl thought to be just 10.
Nineteen people were killed.
© AFP, 2015 with reporting from Associated Press.
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As horrible as the Paris attacks were, I think this puts things into perspective. Nigeria practically had their own 9/11 with regards the loss of life yet I don’t see most of the media covering this as much as the other attacks. Again not taking anything away from those terrible attacks but when it happens in a city which is more like our own and the people are more like us, we seem to care more
To be honest when news of this attack was coming through on Thursday the Nigerian president was at a mass rally and ignored the tragedy. Goodluck Jonathan and the rest of them in southern Nigeria seemingly couldn’t care less at what is happening in the far north. How can it be possible for Boko Haram, a terror group with less than 10,000 members in total, and no heavy weaponry, cause such outrage and terror. Considering Nigeria has a population of 160 million and Africa’s largest military questions have to be as to what the hell are the military up to. They are letting a ragtag group of extremists have free run in this area to come to towns and massacre all civilians in sight rather than flooding the area in question with tens of thousands of troops, as any sane countries government would do.
ericm: Nobody cares about the millions of innocent civilians who died and the hundreds of people who die everyday in Iraq due to the illegal war on terror.
If the people aren’t from the west, the mainstream media won’t care.
pjm
Coincidentally, Muhammad had 10,000 thugs and cut-throats when he started spreading islam by the sword, across the middle-east. Boko Haram are simply following his ‘perfect example’ – or as they say in Arabic;- ‘al insan al khemi’
Nice tinfoil hat there Sean.
That’s nearly as much lives lost as the twin towers. Sky news will be all over this story for the next month. Actually come to think of it No They Won’t!!!
Francie – look at the inquisition and the medieval witch hunts as well. All religions have committed atrocities at the hands of large groups of nutters. Sure, Islam is particularly bad at present and the issue needs to be tackled urgently but 10,000 out of 1.6 billion hardly warrants the likes of you castigating the whole Muslim population of the Earth.
Try broadening your Google search parameters to actually read about the whole religion – you might learn something!
Can I be honest. Tragic what happened in Nigeria but the Paris incident is more relevant to us. That is why it gets more press coverage.
Cholly – realistically speaking, 12 journalists being shot in Paris isn’t really any more relevant than the incident in Nigeria. Neither incident is likely to impact on our lives in Ireland.
We probably relate to it more as it’s closer, in the EU we know French people, have visited there etc. But in terms of relevance to us, they’re both on the same scale I reckon.
Have to disagree. Boko harem present no threat to Ireland at present however there is a very real threat to Ireland from radicalised Muslims
So Boko Harem aren’t radicalised Muslims?
And, secondly – have you any proof that radicalised Muslims are a threat to Ireland at present or did you just make it up?
I find it incredible that people can compare 2 separate atrocities!! Both events are different. Of course the BBC will cover the Paris attacks more intently. Do you expect the BBC to be sent to Africa in Black Hawks, only to swoop down and take a few pics and even do a few interviews and then make a hasty getaway? Africa, as long as dictators thrive, will always be poor and volatile. Focusing on events in France means that we are looking out for the free world. Our freedom. Europe’s freedom!!
Dara you can keep your head in the sand when it comes threats from these fundamentalists. It’s been reported how we are hub for travelling to and from Syria and Iraq. These people aren’t sane, they are brainwashed and don’t see Ireland as this peaceful little green island. We represent the west as much as the UK, us, Australia and France etc… I don’t fear the Muslim faith and these maniacs don’t represent the Muslims and that’s what makes them so unpredictable. It’s only a matter of time before some martyr attacks Ireland and it is the wake up call we need. It’s sad to say but the warning signs are all over the place and jihadists are using and abusing Irelands freedoms for their own warped ideologies
Dara O’Brien
The BIG difference is, that the muslims who spread terror by murdering innocents all over the World, are actually following the example of Mohammad to a ‘T’, since he was a mass-murderer, a torturer, a looter and a rapist
But anyone, including the Spanish inquisitors, who torture & kill in the name of Christianity, are certainly NOT following the example of the loving and gentle Christ, who sacrificed his life and his ALONE, for the good of humanity, & was the greatest being to walk the Earth.
The greatest non-imaginary being to walk the Earth was a species of Argentinosaurus. It is people believing that words in books are true that has caused misery for centuries.
Terrible absolutly awful
Women and children men and the elderly brutally masacred by these islamist extreamists. What on earth is going to be done about this? We need to stop these inhumane animals from repeating these attacks reagrdless if its in nigeria or france or london it could be dublin next heaven knows we have plenty of them here .
This is disgracefull and makes me sick to my stomach we share a world with these ruthless nutjobs
Plenty of ‘them’? Who are ‘they’?
Boko haram means – ‘western ways are forbidden’
i.e. – no mercy, no charity, no decency.
Yep, that just about sums them up, – these followers of the example of muhammad.
Except charity is a huge part of Islam…. I’ve actually experienced it my self.
There are plenty of thing out there to beat the religion up without you making things up.
Mercy, charity and decency are fundamental to Islam to absolute idiot. Keep spreading lies, that’ll get you far in life.
We know who the liars are.
Taquiyya anyone….??
“Mercy, charity and decency are fundamental to Islam to absolute idiot. ”
Are they really? Having read the entire Quran myself, I haven’t come to the same conclusion. But I guess with a healthy dose of revisionism, special pleading and selective quoting, you can eventually work the brutality into something positive. Thank goodness anyway that so many Muslims, as Christians, do!
This atrocity is simply unspeakably awful. The Religion of Peace hasn’t really had a good year thus far.
Meanwhile back at the ranch charity is a compulsory part of Islam.
Yes charity is a compulsory part of Islam. The recipients of the charity being other Muslims. Even charity within Islam is of a sectarian nature. Where do you think Boko Haram receive their funding/charity from?
Why has this taken so long for western media to cover? 17 people died in France because of terrorism, and the world is in outrage and is mobilising for protests of solidarity, but 2,000 were killed by terrorists in Nigeria and almost nothing. Little media coverage, little outrage, little mobilisation of normal people in the west like has been seen in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. Why?
Will Google put up a black ribbon?
African atrocities don’t seem as big a deal as atrocities in Europe. These crazies are running amok in Africa for years and nothing is been done.
Apart from of course a pathetic internet campaign and a runaway bandwagon when it came to Kony 2012 and #BringBackOurGirls. That worked wonders, didn’t it?
It’s just needed 10 more likes and it would have worked
I hope those commenters who so compassionately told Nigerian asylum seekers to go back where they came from, have second thoughts on reading this article.
I was thinking the same…. Of course they won’t because they are just pigs
Of course they won’t, they’ll just ignore that bit as itdoesn’t sit them and continue on …
Alan most if not all of the Nigerian asylum seekers in Ireland presently are Christians from the south of Nigeria. It is a huge country of over 160 million and what is happening presently is a world away from where most of these asylum seekers have come from. Now when Nigerian Muslims from the far North start coming to Ireland presently from the war torn areas then we know they are legitimate but the facts are the numbers of asylum seekers from Nigeria have dropped dramatically in line with our economic woes of 6 years ago, and those that come do not come from war torn areas!
Boko Haram is 7th richest terrorist group —Report
09.Jul.2014 Nigerian Tribune
With an estimated sum of $70 million, Boko Haram has been ranked the seventh wealthiest terrorist organisation in the world.
According to a report published by The Richest, the sum of $70 million was made by the group between 2006 and 2011 from their numerous kidnappings and the subsequent ransoms procured.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a Jihadist militant group, is adjudged the richest terrorist group till date, with an estimated sum of $2 billion, gathered from looted weapons and bank robberies.
The second richest terrorist group is Irish Republican Army (IRA), a prominent professional money laundering organisation in Europe with over $450 million.
The third richest, the Taliban of Afghanistan rakes in an estimated sum of $400 million, annually from expansive drug trade, human trafficking, extortion, as well as a large amount of donations from foreign organisations that support their ill-gotten empire.
Al-Qaeda, which is the fourth richest, is one of the largest and deadliest terrorist groups, founded by Osama Bin Laden. The group realises over $100million in a year.
The Marxist guerrilla group, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia-People’s Army (FARC), known for numerous kidnappings, assassinations and bombings, which they have executed on Columbian citizens, in the name of anti-imperialism rakes in an estimated sum of $80-$350 million, every year is the fifth richest.
Just ahead Boko Haram is Lashkar-e-Tayyiba from Pakistan, renowned for wreaking havoc, raging war and killing civilians, with $100 million a year.
Happy days so Paddy, I hope this means SF can easily outspend all the other parties combined if the IRA would be so kind to share the wealth!
If those other organisations are making this every year, surely they’re richer than the ira (which they obviously are!)
Sorry red thumbers, maybe I should have said EVERY year… dopes
A UN peacekeeping force is needed there. Asap.. As well as a war crimes trial. Incidents such as what happened in Paris / Sydney will keep happening if we keep ignoring islamofacist atrocities in the middle east and Africa.
A peacekeeping force wouldn’t be coming home Paddy.
Friday nights news lads… This place is getting slower and slower
And in other news, 1000s dead in niger… We interrupt this story,
Someone has lit a candle in Paris what a hero, let’s give this hours of coverage
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