Boko Haram Terror In West Africa

Tehran, June 24, IRNA -- The abduction of more than 200 female students by militants from a school in northeastern Nigeria in mid-April shocked the world to the core. More than two months have passed but the whereabouts of the kidnapped girls remain unknown, wrote Tuesday edition of the English-language newspaper Iran Daily. The kidnapping was claimed by Boko Haram, a terrorist organization based in northeast Nigeria. But who are Boko Haram militants? The group, which has caused havoc in Africaˈs most populous country through a wave of bombings, assassinations and abductions, is fighting to overthrow the government. How did Boko Haram come into existence? Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the organization seeks to establish a state, putting an end to what it deems Westernization. The group calls it ‘haram’ or forbidden for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society. This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a nonreligious education. Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by nonbelievers, even when the country had a Muslim president. Loosely translated from the regionˈs Hausa language, Boko Haram means ˈWestern education is sinˈ. Paradoxical leader The group conducted its operations more or less peacefully during the first seven years of its existence. That changed in 2009 when the Nigerian government launched an investigation into the groupˈs activities following reports that its members were arming themselves. When the government came into action, several members of the group were arrested, sparking deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. Yusuf, the groupˈs leader, was killed during this time while in police custody. After the killing of Yusuf, the group carried out its first deadly attack in January 2011. It resulted in the deaths of four people. Abubakar Shekau, a former deputy to Yusuf, took control of the group. Shekau has been described as ˈan intensely private bookish theologian and ruthless killer, and rules a fractured organizationˈ. He is also said to be a fearless loner, a complex, paradoxical man, part-theologian, part-gangster. Since Shekauˈs rise, the violence has escalated in terms of both frequency and intensity. Fondly called imam or leader by his followers, Abubakar Muhammad Shekau was born in Shekau village in Nigeriaˈs northeastern state of Yobe. Some say he is in his late 30s, others believe he is in his mid-40s – the uncertainty adds to the myths surrounding him. The US government has offered a reward of up to $7m for information about his location. When Yusuf was killed, Shekau is said to have married one of his four wives and adopted their children – perhaps to preserve Boko Haramˈs cohesion or ‘purity’. The group has a highly decentralized structure – the unifying force appears to be ideology, though many believe that they are now more interested in vengeance than in ideology. Shekau does not communicate directly with the groupˈs foot soldiers – he is said to wield his power through a few select cell leaders, but even then contact is minimal. Shekau has neither the charismatic streak nor the oratorical skills of his predecessor – but he has an intense ideological commitment and ruthlessness. The January 2012 attack by Boko Haram left more than 180 people dead in Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest city. Merciless militants Boko Haramˈs trademark was originally the use of gunmen on motorbikes, killing police, politicians and anyone who criticizes it, including clerics from other Muslim traditions and Christian preachers. The group has also staged more audacious attacks in northern and central Nigeria, including bombing churches, bus ranks, bars, military barracks and even the police and UN headquarters in the capital Abuja. Amid growing concern about the escalating violence, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in May 2013 in the three northern states where Boko Haram is the strongest – Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. Boko Haram also stepped up its campaign against Western education, which it believes corrupts the moral values of Muslims, especially girls, by attacking two boarding schools – in Yobe in March and in Chibok in April. It abducted more than 200 schoolgirls during the Chibok raid, saying it would treat them as slaves and marry them off. It made a similar threat in May 2013, when it released a video, saying it had taken women and children – including teenage girls – hostage in response to the arrest of its membersˈ wives and children. There was later a prison swap, with both sides releasing the women and children. At the same time, Boko Haram has continued with its urban bombing campaign, targeting the capital on April 14, when at least 70 people were killed in an explosion near a car park and on May 2 when 19 people died. This showed that not only does Boko Haram have a fighting force of thousands of men, but also cells that specialize in bombings. Northern Nigeria is said to have a history of spawning militant groups, but Boko Haram has outlived them and has proved to be far more lethal, with a global agenda. Does Boko Haram act independently? Documents provided by the WikiLeaks identified the US embassy in Nigeria as a forward operating base for wide and far reaching acts of subversion against Nigeria which include but not limited to eavesdropping on Nigerian government communication, financial espionage on leading Nigerians, support and funding of subversive groups and insurgents, sponsoring of divisive propaganda among the disparate groups of Nigeria and the use of visa blackmail to induce and coerce high ranking Nigerians into acting in favor of US interests. What many Nigerians do not know is that US embassy’s subversive activities in Nigeria fits into the long-term US government’s well camouflaged policy of containment against Nigeria the ultimate goal of which is to eliminate Nigeria as a potential strategic rival to the US in the African continent. The CIA while tactically taking advantage of growing sectarian violence in Nigeria, recruited jobless extremists through Muslim and other traditional leaders offering training indirectly to the group by use of foreign-based terror groups. In December 2011, an Algerian-based CIA wing gave out 40 million naira as a planned long-term partnership with Boko Haram with pledge to do more. On June 29, 2009 a United States cable leaked by WikiLeaks showed that the CIA public predicted the onslaught of deadly terrorist attack by Boko Haram, i.e. even 2 months before Boko Haram started terrorist actions./end