New reports of violence by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram have tragically raised doubts as to whether the militants will release the more than 200 schoolgirls they kidnapped back in April. Last week, the Nigerian government said that they had reached a ceasefire deal, and Boko Haram leaders had agreed to free the girls whose abduction gained international attention and started the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
Over the course of the last four days—including the same day the ceasefire was announced—Boko Haram militants reportedly attacked several towns, sparking new rounds of fighting with the military. The violence casts doubts over the Islamists’ initial promise to release the girls as part of a ceasefire agreement. For months Boko Haram has wage a brutal campaign of violence in northern Nigeria which has even spilled in to neighboring countries, killing hundreds. The Islamic terrorist group has raided villages, burned Christian churches, targeted fellow Muslims whom they disagree with, kidnapped children, car-bombed urban areas and indiscriminately murdered civilians. The kidnapping of the girls—and threats to sell them into sex slavery—sparked international outrage and military intelligence aid from several countries, including the United States. Despite the attention and international efforts, little has been done to stop Boko Haram’s on-going terrorism or to actually secure the release of the girls …
