Damage to the Mosque targeted in the bombing. New York Times/AP.
ISIS affiliate Boko Haram is being blamed for a major suicide bombing in Nigeria that has killed at least 50 people. New York Times. The bomber was a teenager and set his bomb off inside a small crowded mosque. Boko Haram hasn't taken credit for the attack but it follows a wave of similar bombings in Nigeria committed by the group. The attack occurred in Mubi, near the border with Camaroon, which was controlled by Boko Haram three years ago before being defeated. Boko Haram has not been defeated in Nigeria, though it has lost much of its offensive capabilities. They often use teenagers of both genders as suicide bombers.
My Comment:
This attack serves us as a reminder of two things. First, though ISIS has largely been defeated in Syria and Iraq, they still exist in Nigeria. Boko Haram has been a long time ISIS affiliate, though they are often thought of as the "black sheep" of the terrorist group. That may be literal considering the respective races of Boko Haram and core ISIS. Though ISIS claims to be beyond race, there has been evidence that suggests they don't think much of their Black affiliate, Boko Haram. Very few if any White and Arab fighters have joined up with Boko Haram.
Second, Boko Haram remains one of the most depraved and evil terrorist groups in existence today. They tend to go even further than even core ISIS does when it comes to depravity, which is really saying something. Boko Haram specializes in using children as suicide bombers. Many times those children are tricked or forced into doing so by Boko Haram. I shouldn't have to point out that is one of the evilest things a person could do. Of course, attacking a house of worship, is also a horrible thing to do, but even the most pious among us would admit that using children as suicide bombers is probably worse.
This attack is another example of that tactic and it shows why it works. Most people wouldn't suspect a teenage boy to deliver a suicide bomb in a mosque. He probably wasn't as suspicious as an older man would have been and was likely able to slip by any security this mosque had, assuming it had any at all. Once he was in all he had to do was detonate the bomb. Given the highly packed conditions, it is not surprising that so many died.
Such an attack is hard to defend against and puts defenders in an impossible dilemma. If they discover an attacker is a child, they are forced to choose between killing a kid or letting that kid kill a bunch of other people. That's an impossible choice and one that might cause people to hesitate, allowing the bomber to succeed in his mission. Again, I shouldn't have to point out how evil this is. And that assumes that the defender is even looking for kids. I know that I wouldn't expect a child to blow him or herself up.
As for Boko Haram itself, the group seems to have a roller coaster ride of defeat and resurgence and it appears we are in the resurgence cycle. Though Boko Haram no longer controls very much territory, they are still a very active terrorist group and are able to pull of raids and bombings. They are still a major threat even though they aren't at the height of their power.
Indeed, Boko Haram and Nigeria might be a preview of how ISIS is going to operate in Iraq and Syria. Though ISIS has largely been defeated in both countries, Iran claims that they are completely defeated, I fear that the same situation will happen again in Iraq and Syria. Just as Boko Haram continues to launch terror attacks throughout the region, ISIS will continue to do so in the Middle East.
It just goes to show that even as ISIS has been routed on the battlefield, it doesn't mean the war is over. Far from it. We will see these kinds of attacks in all the countries where ISIS has been pushed out off. And we also have to remember that ISIS still holds territory in Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt and The Philippines. They are far from done, and their African affiliate serves as a warning for the rest of the world...
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