How Can You Tell When An Islamic Movement Is Fake?: When It Blows Up People REGARDLESS of Religious Affiliation, Gender or Age

Boko Haram's Two-Pronged Attack

Screen capture from YouTube video.

"Boko Haram has in the past said it wanted to create an Islamic state. But these blasts appear intended to kill as many people as possible and they are indiscriminate, killing Christians and Muslims, children and adults."

By Will Ross
The Boko Haram assault on Nigeria is on two very different fronts - first there are the violent raids on villages in the north-east, then there are the bomb attacks over a much wider area.

On Wednesday in Borno state's Alagarno village, relatives and friends buried 17 of their loved ones after yet another night-time raid by suspected Boko Haram fighters. The insurgents spent four hours killing, looting and torching every building before stealing vehicles and driving away without facing any military response whatsoever.

The night before, people in Mawa village went through hell when the insurgents struck. There were 10 more burials and the insurgents promised to come back to kill all the men and take the women away.

Both these villages are not far from Chibok, where more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped last month. They are still missing.

But these latest 27 victims will not feature in any Twitter campaign like the abducted Chibok girls. They will join the list of thousands who have been killed and forgotten by all but their relatives and friends.

Government officials may not even utter the names Alagarno or Mawa. More troops have been sent to the towns in Borno but these remote villages seem virtually off limits to the military hence the insurgents' ability to attack for several hours and drive around in convoys.

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