Boko Haram blamed after attack on Nigerian college leaves as many as 50 dead

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Boko Haram blamed after attack on Nigerian college leaves as many as 50 dead

Adamu Adamu And Michelle Faul
POTISKUM, Nigeria — The Associated Press
Published Sunday, Sep. 29 2013, 8:19 AM EDT

Suspected Islamic extremists attacked an agricultural college in the dead of night, gunning down dozens of students as they slept in dormitories and torching classrooms, the school’s provost said — the latest violence in northeastern Nigeria’s ongoing Islamic uprising.

The attack, blamed on the Boko Haram extremist group, came despite a 4 1/2-month-old state of emergency covering three states and one-sixth of the country. It and other recent violence have led many to doubt assurances from the government and the military that they are winning Nigeria’s war on the extremists.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday described Boko Haram as one of the most vicious terrorist organizations in the world, speaking at a meeting with Jonathan at which both reaffirmed their commitment to fight terrorism.

The Islamic extremists have killed at least 30 other civilians in the past week, including a pastor and his son. And the military said it killed more than 100 militants and lost 16 soldiers in an attack on an extremist stronghold Sept. 21-22.

Human rights groups have accused Nigeria’s military of summary killings of civilians in reprisal attacks and no one knows the fate of hundreds of people detained as suspected militants.

The attacks come as Nigeria prepares to celebrate 53 years of independence from Britain on Tuesday and amid political jockeying in the run up to presidential elections next year. Many northern Muslim politicians say they do not want another term for Jonathan, who is from the predominantly Christian south.

More:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/at-least-42-killed-18-injured-in-nigeria-college-attack-by-suspected-islamic-extremists/article14589188/


An Opportunity for Greater U.S.-Nigeria Ties

President Obama will meet with the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan tonight on the margins of the U.N General Assembly in New York. Counterterrorism and energy security should be at the top of the meeting’s discussion agenda, along with Nigeria’s greater economic integration within West Africa and the continent.

The recent terrorist attack in Kenya highlights the ongoing threat of terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa and the importance for the U.S. to develop and sustain long-lasting counterterrorism partnerships and expose the groups for what they really are.

The likelihood of a Tehrik-i-Taiba (Mumbai) or al-Shabaab (Nairobi) attack in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja is not far from reality. The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Boko Haram is very active in northern Nigeria and is increasingly exporting its message and fighters to other countries in the region, such as Cameroon. In 2011, Boko Haram attacked the U.N. headquarters in Nigeria. Even after a strong offensive by the Nigerian military just last week, a firefight broke out in Abuja between Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces.

More : http://blog.heritage.org/2013/09/24/an-opportunity-for-greater-u-s-nigeria-ties/