Nigerian Locals Ambush Boko Haram, Kill Scores

by | May 14, 2014

Fed up with ongoing attacks by Boko Haram against their village and others, locals from the Kalabalge village formed a vigilante militia and ambushed two truckloads of Boko Haram fighters en route to their village.

Taking them by surprise, the vigilante group routed the Boko fighters pretty quickly, capturing 10 of the fighters and killing “scores” of others. The vigilantes say they believe it is “impossible” for Boko Haram to successfully attack their village again.

Many villages around Borno State have formed vigilante factions over the past year, complaining about the military’s tendency to only show up after Boko Haram is long gone.

In the past, the Boko Haram faction has responded violently to localities with vigilante factions, and while the locals can fight off smaller attack squads like today’s, Boko Haram is often able to organize much larger forces than their opponents can muster.

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.

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