CSP, by Nicholas Hanlon, Jan. 8, 2015: Like the U.S. non-response to the Syrian civil war which gave rise to ISIS, Boko Haram has been allowed to fester in Nigeria. Inaction emboldens the merciless Islamist militants and makes them stronger. Boko Haram currently holds a military base in Baga, a tri-border town on Lake Chad in the North Eastern most part of Nigeria near Cameroon and Chad. The sum of territory Boko Haram holds is comparable to that of ISIS. There are reports that some 2000 lives were taken when Baga fell and in the aftermath. The strength of Boko Haram’s hold on such territory rests largely on the fear in the hearts of the land’s inhabitants as does the strength of the Taliban in Afghanistan and ISIS in Iraq. The White House has given relatively minor attention to Boko Haram. The nature of the group’s rise and territorial occupation would raise the same foreign policy debates about military expedition and counter insurgency as the Taliban and ISIS did were Boko Haram anywhere else but Africa. The current unprofessional conduct of the Nigerian military defies the best practices of a counter insurgency and does more to drive locals into Boko Haram’s merciless arms. The best advice still demands a large force of well trained soldiers to take back, secure, and keep territory. But who is prepared to take on the task?
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 13:58:48 +0000
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