Members of Boko Haram Kidnap at Least 185 Women and Children in Nigeria

Nigerian security sources reported that militants suspected of being affiliated with Boko Haram kidnapped 185 women and children in a village in the remote northeastern regions of the country on Sunday, killing 35 people. Reuters, which published the report on Thursday, noted that news from some remote areas of Nigeria that are not connected to communication networks is transmitted after several days. Boko Haram's operations have become the biggest security threat to Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and oil producer, over the past five years. The killing of thousands and the abduction of hundreds have raised questions about the ability of Nigerian security forces to protect citizens and civilians. Maina Chibok, a resident of the village (Gomskiri), who did not witness the militants' raid but visited relatives in the village afterward, said, 'They gathered people, killed more than thirty, and took 185 women and children away in open trucks.' Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, evidence suggests that this raid is similar to previous attacks by Boko Haram. The militants had previously kidnapped 200 girls from a school in a similar attack near this village, which is close to the Cameroon border. Maina Chibok added, 'They set fire to a government health center, houses, and shops.' A Nigerian security official also confirmed that 100 people were kidnapped and 35, including a local tribal chief, were killed. Meanwhile, the Cameroon Ministry of Defense announced that its army killed 116 Boko Haram militants. Colonel Didier Badjek, spokesperson for the Cameroon Ministry of Defense, said on Thursday that the military had eliminated 116 members of the group who had attacked an army base in the north of the country. According to military sources in Cameroon, Boko Haram militants ambushed a column of army vehicles 65 kilometers north of Maroua, the capital of the northern region of Cameroon, on Wednesday morning local time. The spokesperson stated that in this clash, 116 militants and one soldier were killed, and two military vehicles were destroyed. He added, 'Our forces' response was swift and appropriate. The attackers' assault was neutralized.' Boko Haram has continued its armed struggle to establish an Islamic government in Nigeria, killing hundreds this year, especially in the northeastern regions of the country. While most casualties have occurred in the northeast, the group has also attacked other cities in Nigeria. Some of these attacks across the border into neighboring countries have led Cameroon to deploy military units to its northern regions. A senior government official in northern Cameroon confirmed the attack on Wednesday and its casualties, stating that this raid followed a nighttime attack whose casualties are unknown. This official, who wished to remain anonymous, added that the Cameroon army determines casualties by observing corpses or counting destroyed militants' vehicles and estimating their occupants. In this context, the 'agreement' between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram regarding a ceasefire and the release of girls has been 'exploited in various ways.' A suicide bombing in Nigeria left at least 48 dead, while suicide attacks on a mosque in Nigeria resulted in at least 120 deaths.