01/13/2021 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, the Nigerian military conducted an operation to clear out what they call the Islamic State West Africa Province’s (ISWAP), second largest training camp. The camp was located in the town of Talala in Borno State. During the raid, the military says that a desperate insurgent drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into the military, killing six soldiers.
This attack may have done some damage to the strength of the insurgent group, which has controlled much of Nigeria’s Northeast over the past two decades. Despite this seemingly small victory for the military in Nigeria, there have been many loses recently as well. The Nigerian military lost 13 soldiers to an ISWAP ambush on Saturday January, 9 2021. In December, ISWAP and Boko Haram also both killed soldiers, kidnapped hundreds of people (330 Students from Kankara), executed Christians, and made threats of further violence.
Boko Haram began their insurgency in 2001, but was not designated as a terrorist organization until 2009. This led to them becoming one of the largest and deadliest organizations in the world today. Nigerian Christians continue to suffer daily for their faith at the hands of this terrorist group, as well as at the hands of Fulani militant groups throughout the country. Please pray for the safety of all Nigerians.
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