Two female suicide bombers from Boko Haram attacked a mosque in Maiduguri, killing 30 people. Maiduguri is the birthplace of the terrorist group. This is the latest attack committed by Boko Haram and the fourth attack this month, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
Over the last year, Boko Haram kidnapped hundreds of boys and girls and is now using them to commit terrorist acts. Terrorist attacks by Boko Haram have increased since newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari took office in Nigeria back in January. Less than a week after his inauguration, a suicide bomber killed dozens in Maiduguri. The suicide bombers are using remote controlled devices, which means the triggers on the bombs are controlled remotely.
Prior to the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in January, President Goodluck Johnathan had seen success in fighting the terrorist group. He used a combination of Chadian and Nigerois troops, and hired private South African security firms to train Nigerian troops in counterinsurgency techniques. President Johnathan was highly criticized by the South African government and labeled the private South African security firms as mercenaries .
With the election of a new president in Nigeria, the attacks have intensified, and Boko Haram has continued to gain ground in Nigeria. Currently, they control the Northeast section of Nigeria.
Earlier, the new president told the BBC in an interview that Nigeria must “win peace .”
“With the co-operation of our neighbours, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and the international community, and the commitment we are going to get from the military, I think it will take us a much shorter time to deal with them.”
Right after his election, President Buhari received applause for his stance on how to fight Boko Haram and declared it his number one priority. Since 2009, Boko Haram has been responsible for the deaths of over 13,000 people. Military experts agree, though, that the President needs more than just a military plan in order to defeat the terrorists.
The attacks have also increased since the President announced that the military control center is moving from the capital, Abuja, to Maiduguri. This is in addition to an overall strategy to strengthen the multinational army, made up troops from Chad, Niger, and Nigeria that were used to drive out Boko Haram before. One of the challenges faced by this multinational army now is that they are having to contend with both suicide bombings and across-the-border attacks on their neighboring countries.
President Buhari, a Northern Nigerian Muslim, criticized Boko Haram for its radical brand of Islam. Buhari is expected to have better results in fighting the terrorists, since he is from the North and knows the terrain. President Goodluck Johnathan is a Christian from Southern Nigeria and was perceived to be indifferent to the attacks happening in the North.
Do you believe the attacks by Boko Haram can be stopped? What do you believe is the best military strategy to stop the terrorist attacks?
[Photo Credit Yahoo News ]