Boko Haram attacks a funeral and kills 65 people.

Some of the damage done by the attackers. BBC/AFP.

At least 65 people are dead after a Boko Haram attack on a funeral in Nigeria. BBC. Gunmen arrived riding motorcycles and in vans and began shooting people. Some were also killed when the villagers tried to drive off the Boko Haram fighters. The attack appears to be retribution for the killing of 11 Boko Haram fighters two weeks ago. Boko Haram is an ISIS affiliate and was once one of the biggest terror groups active, but have splintered. 

My Comment:

It's not often we hear about Boko Haram anymore. They have had the same fate that core ISIS has had, they have lost much of their territory and don't have the strength they once had. Though this was a terrible attack, it pales in comparison to some of their previous attacks and shows how much the terror group has faded. 

I do have to say that I respect the locals who are fighting back against Boko Haram. They not only killed a group of 11 fighters in a separate skirmish but they also tried to drive off the fighters who attacked this time. It didn't work out but it still shows that people are tired of terror groups like Boko Haram. 

Boko Haram was always the black sheep of ISIS's affiliates, almost literally as ISIS was racist against them, and yet they have lingered on a lot longer than ISIS's core groups in Iraq and Syria. They have been very resilient even though they have lost much of their territory. They made the transition from state to underground terror group much more smoothly. 

This particular attack does show an effective way to attack. Boko Haram used motorcycles and vans as essentially light cavalry. By using them they can conduct lightning attacks and destroy and kill quickly. They can also escape quickly before any effective resistance can be found.   

I do have to note that international terrorism seems to have been reduced very quickly. When compared to the period between 2015 and 2018 terrorism seems to be an afterthought. There are still local attacks like this but the only major terror attack in 2019 was the Sri Lanka attacks. I'm not really aware of any attacks on major western targets in America or Europe, which is a major improvement.