“If Boko Haram ever develops truly international ambitions, it could carve out an arc of instability stretching from northern Nigeria via Cameroon, Central African Republic and South Sudan into East Africa,” Peter Dörrie wrote on the War Is Boring blog. He noted that a comprehensive defeat of the militant group would require “thousands of well-equipped foreign soldiers, a substantial overhaul of the Nigerian Army itself, as well as an admission on the part of the Nigerian government that it can’t handle the situation on its own.” For more on the fight between Europe and radical Islam in this region, read our article “Watch Algeria!” Until now, Boko Haram has not posed much of a threat to Western interests. Its “caliphate” is in northern Nigeria, far from the oil-rich south. This could change. The group has links to al Qaeda, and some interpret the latest video to be a declaration of support to the Islamic State, and a pledge to join it. Ultimately, Boko Haram is a dangerous militant group, growing steadily stronger, that could begin posing a threat to Western interests any time it chooses. Both Europe and America are reluctant to spend money on significant military missions in the area when their interests are not under threat. But once those interests are threatened, they will get involved. We’ve seen this in Mali and the Central African Republic. Meanwhile in the Democratic Republic of Congo the UN’s first “intervention brigade” has been quietly bringing that region’s military groups under control. Europe is battling radical Islam across North Africa. Continue to watch Boko Haram—the group could open up another front in this war. For more on the fight between Europe and radical Islam in this region, read our article “Watch Algeria!
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 12:27:44 +0000
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