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Tag: Nigeria

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Boko Haram Fuses with ISIS in Dangerous New Alliance

After swearing allegiance to ISIS in March, the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram has now gone a step further, adopting the new name of the “Islamic State’s West Africa Province,” or ISWAP. The title change is more than semantic, and galvanizes the radical Islamist forces in Africa and the Middle East.

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‘Islamic State in West Africa’: Boko Haram Rebrands

Months after accepting a pledge of allegiance from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, the Islamic State has released propaganda through its social media outlets in which the Nigerian group refers to itself as “Islamic State West Africa Province” (ISWAP), suggesting their merger is finally complete.

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Chadian Army Rescues 43 Would-Be Child Soldiers from Boko Haram

The Chadian military has rescued 43 children from the Nigerian town of Damasak who had been abducted and prepared to serve as child soldiers for the jihadist Boko Haram terror group. The Nigerian military is currently embroiled in a struggle in the Sambisa forest, the last known stronghold of the terror group in the nation.

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On Anniversary of Boko Haram Kidnapping, 85% of Chibok Girls Still Missing

On April 14, 2014, the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram abducted more than 300 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok, cementing their international reputation as one of the most ruthless and dangerous terror groups in the world. One year later, more than 200 of those girls remain missing, and Nigeria’s president-elect is making no promises to find them.

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Former Dictator Wins Nigerian Presidency: ‘We Have Embraced Democracy’

General Muhammadu Buhari has officially won Nigeria’s presidential elections, after running for the chief executive office in 2003, 2007, and 2011, and ruling the country as a military dictator between 1984-1985. In his acceptance speech, Buhari thanked his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, for conceding defeat peacefully and congratulated Nigerians for having, like him, “embraced democracy.”

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Former Dictator Takes Nigerian Election Lead amid Fraud Allegations

Perhaps the greatest success of Nigeria’s elections held last Saturday is that the Islamist terror group Boko Haram has failed to steal the biggest headlines for itself. Former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari is currently leading the polls with half a million more votes that incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in an election marked more by allegations of fraud than terrorist violence.

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Nigeria’s Only Active Cardinal Laments Destruction of Churches on Eve of Election Results

As further attacks from the radical Islamist group Boko Haram have disrupted Nigeria’s presidential elections, officials now say that the results will not be released until Tuesday. Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the archbishop of Abuja and Nigeria’s only cardinal, has said that the situation in Nigeria is so serious that no matter who wins the election, a major “turn of page” is needed.

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A New Arc of Evil: The Boko Haram/ISIS Merger

In January, the world’s single largest terror attack since 9/11 was carried out by Boko Haram, an Islamist terrorist group in northern Nigeria. That incident, which drew only passing notice from the West, saw the slaughter of 2,000 civilians in the border town of Baga. Boko Haram’s oath of allegiance to the Islamic State last weekend raises questions about how this will affect the group. Given Boko Haram’s demonstrable ruthlessness in Baga, a better question would be, why aren’t we aiming to “degrade and destroy” it, too?