In this Thursday Nov. 27, 2014 photo, children displaced after attacks by Boko Haram, line up in the camp of internal displace people, in Yola, Nigeria. Seven children have been reunited with parents lost in the chaos of attacks in Nigeria’s northeastern Islamic insurgency but hundreds more remain alone, officials say of youngsters who have no idea if their families are alive or dead. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, file)
According to Amnesty International, Boko Haram has reportedly topped their last killing spree, after they mercilessly attacked children, women, and the elderly in the town of Baga on Friday.
District head Baba Abba Hassan said most victims are children, women and elderly people who could not run fast enough when insurgents drove into Baga, firing rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles on town residents.
“The human carnage perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists in Baga was enormous,” Muhammad Abba Gava, a spokesman for poorly armed civilians in a defense group that fights Boko Haram, told The Associated Press.
He said the civilian fighters gave up on trying to count all the bodies. “No one could attend to the corpses and even the seriously injured ones who may have died by now,” Gava said.
An Amnesty International statement said there are reports the town was razed and as many as 2,000 people killed.
As for the response, officials say they have answered the insurgents with airstrikes and military assets. Government spokesman Mike Omeri adds, “Security forces have responded rapidly, and have deployed significant military assets and conducted airstrikes against militant targets.”
The last time Boko Haram took such a large amount of lives was on March 14, 2014, when they attacked the military barracks of Giwa, killing about 600 people.
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Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram obviously takes no holiday breaks due to its incessant attacks on civilians. On Monday, the insurgents reportedly finished their destructive work from Saturday, allegedly burning down the northeastern town of Baga to the ground, forcing both military and residents to flee, according to the BBC.
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On Saturday morning, Baga was reportedly attacked from all sides by Boko Haram’s gunfire.
As civilians were awoken by the noise, many were reportedly shocked to witness soldiers from the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) base abandoning their posts and running away.
The base was reportedly established in 1988 to fight transborder crime with soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, and Chad.
One witness described the scene:
“Yesterday at around 05:00 [04:00 GMT] we were woken up by heavy gunshots, and we couldn’t identify where the shots were coming from.
“They came through the north, the west and from the southern part of the town because the eastern part is only water. So, when we [went] towards the western part, we saw heavily armed Boko Haram men coming towards us.
“The soldiers were trying to repel the attack but that wasn’t going to happen because a lot of the soldiers were without their guns and some were running into the town. When you see soldiers running away into the town – what are you to do, other than to just run away as well?”
By Monday, Boko Haram was said to have definitive control over the area that previously had a population of 10,000.
Tragically, many who attempted to flee by crossing Lake Chad were said to have drowned. Others reportedly relocated to Maiduguri, which is already filled to capacity with other refugees who have fled from other towns throughout 2014.
Meanwhile, 2,000 bodies reportedly litter the streets of Baga, and just last week, the terrorist group allegedly abducted 40 boys.
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