28. Hostage Killings a New, Dangerous Turn for Nigeria

http://world.time.com/2013/03/10/italy-says-7-foreign-hostages-killed-in-nigeria/

Seven foreign hostages in Nigeria were killed by radical Islamic fighters. Sunday, European diplomats said it was the worst kidnapping violence in decades. The Nigerian police, military, presidency, and domestic spy service have remained silent of the killings. The silence has led to people wondering about the countries inability to stop deadly attacks such as shootings, church bombings, and an attack on the United Nations. The victims were four Lebanese and one citizen apiece from Greece, Italy, and Britain. According to Britain and Italy, all seven were taken from the Setrapo construction company compound. They were said to be killed by a little known splinter group of the Islamic sect called Ansaru. Britain, Italy, and Greece have cried out against the killings. The gunmen appeared to be organized and knew who they wanted to target. Ansaru said it killed the hostages partially because of local Nigerian journalists reporting the arrival of British military aircraft to Bauchi. The U.K. Defense Ministry said that the planes it flew to Abuja ferried Nigerian troops and equipment to Bamako, Mali. Nigerian soldiers have been sent to Mali to help French forces and Malian troops battle Islamic extremists. Ansaru also blamed the killings on Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s pledge to do “everything possible” to free the hostages. Nigerian authorities have not yet commented publicly about Ansaru’s claim. The nation’s security forces are still unable to stop the guerrilla campaign of bombings, shootings, and kidnappings across the north of the country. The majority of attacks have been blamed on Boko Haram, a group that grew from the remains of a sect that sparked a riot as well as a security crackdown in Nigeria in 2009. Ansaru, which some analysts believe split from Boko Haram in January 2012, has seemed to be focusing more on Western targets. Analysts say there closer links to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and cares more about international issues, as opposed to Boko Haram’s which is largely local grievances. Much still remains unknown about Ansaru. They have communicated through short, sometimes muddled online statements.

 

Author Jon Gambrell uses his article to inform of terrorist attacks in foreign nations. He retells the events of how the Ansaru probably captured their hostages. Responses from nations the nations involved were given as well. Gambrell highlights past events, like the attacks of Boko Haram, to give insight on the problems Nigeria has faced and where the Ansaru group might have come from. There are quite a few speculations in this article. At the end of the article Gambrell recalls the worst violence that targeted foreign workers in a 1960s civil war.