At least 200 killed in terrorist attack in Nigeria

At least 200 killed in terrorist attack in Nigeria

·         Boko Haram and Nigeria

·         April 24, 2013

·         By: Jim Kouri

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Boko Haram is listed by both U.S. State and Treasury Departments as a terrorist group. They are affiliated with al-Qaeda.

Credits:

Police Times

Nigerian lawmakers on Wednesday called for a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the massacre of about 200 civilians at Baga, a commercial border town in the northeast near Chad and Niger.

The victims died in the weekend crossfire between Nigerian government security forces and the Boko Haram Islamic terrorist group in Baga bordering Lake Chad.

Over the weekend, a fierce battle in Baga, Nigeria between security forces and Islamic terrorists left at least 200 Nigerians dead in that nation's northeast coastal region, an Israeli terrorism analyst who monitors jihad in Africa said on Sunday.

The source said that the terrorists initiated the attack with rocket-propelled grenades and soldiers retaliated with intense machine-gun fire in Nigerian neighborhoods and many of the casualties were civilians.

The fighting in Baga forced civilians to flee into the surrounding community adjacent to Lake Chad.

On Sunday, government officials were able to view the destruction firsthand, and their inspection revealed homes, small business establishments, and automobiles and trucks were torched as a result of the intense battle.

This particular assault caused Nigerian officials to officially acknowledge that the war against Nigerian Islamists is becoming increasingly violent and shows no end in sight.

The terrorists living in the northeast part of Nigeria, including Baga, are said to be armed with military-grade weapons.

The Islamic jihad in Nigeria started as a riot in 2009 by members of an Islamist group known as Boko Haram. That first encounter turned into a full-blown gun-fight between Boko Haram and its supporters and the police and the military.

Since 2010, Islamists have perpetrated drive-by shootings and suicide bombings that have killed 1,548 people. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege" in Nigeria's north, has said it wants its imprisoned Islamists released and for the current Nigerian government to institute Sharia law throughout the nation.

Jim Kouri, Law Enforcement Examiner

Jim Kouri, CPP, the fifth Vice President and Public Information Officer of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, has served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Contact Jim. What others are saying about Jim Kouri: Semana.com...