Boko Haram has overrun yet another town and have killed dozens of people and displaced thousands. Yahoo/Reuters

Boko Haram successfully took the town of Bama in Nigeria, killing scores of people and displacing thousands. Yahoo/Reuters. The Islamic militants were originally pushed back but they returned in greater numbers. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, due to the fighting, and due to a indiscriminate airstrike that killed insurgents and government troops alike. With the battle lost, troops and civilians fled the fighting. The victory comes after Boko Haram, much like ISIS, declared themselves a Caliphate and are imposing their version of extremely strict Islamic law over the places they have captured.

My Comment:
Boko Haram tends to be overlooked due to all the other events happening in the world and in the region. ISIS is the media darling, so to speak, and Ebola is dominating the news from Africa. But other then the #bringbackourgirls hashtag activism campaign, they have flown under the radar of the mainstream media. That is a mistake. Nigeria is a major energy producer and this insurgency has a major global economic impact. The world needs oil and Boko Haram can disrupt the supplies coming from Nigeria. And should the Nigerian government fail to contain Ebola, having to fight Boko Haram while at the same time trying to handle a terrible and deadly disease could be too much for them to handle.

As for them creating a Caliphate, it's somewhat old news. Boko Haram translates roughly to "western education is forbidden". These aren't open minded people and it's no surprise that they want to impose their belief system on others. Of course, Boko Haram is responsible for plenty of atrocities and other acts of depravity. Much like ISIS they will rule with terror and hatred. Unlike ISIS, they don't have nearly the recruiting capabilities, military strength or social media presence. They are a threat locally, and they are certainly a threat to oil supplies, but they aren't a de facto state like ISIS is. Still, I would feel a lot better about the situation if Nigeria could get on its game and defeat these insurgents. The fact that they accidentally blew up a bunch of their own soldiers, who had lost the battle anyways, does not bode well for their chances, even if the Ebola outbreak doesn't bring the government to their knees.