Nigeria: As Boko Haram threaten violent escalation on Churches US designate leaders as terrorists.
The Nigerian Islamic terror group Boko Haram have threatened an escalation of violence against Churches and government buildings promising to make this month (June 2012) the bloodiest yet:
A contact for the sect told SaharaReporters that his group’s planned attacks would be focused and bloody. The group’s spokesperson claimed that Boko Haram had moved some 300 suicide bombers to attack churches in Southern Kaduna as well as Plateau State. The source also stated that the sect was determined to exact massive revenge for the Muslims killed in the Jos and Southern Kaduna areas.
[.....]
The contact for Boko Haram stated that the planned attacks will almost quadruple on Sunday when the sect plans to attack several churches simultaneously to prove their deadly potency. “Boko Haram intends to show to President Jonathan that his military advisers are just deceiving him,” said the source.
A Boko Haram suicide bomber has already claimed the lives of at least ten Christians this month after ramming a bomb laden car into a Church as the parishoners were leaving.
Recently this blog was one of several calling on Hillary Clinton to designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The US State Department have now confirmed they have placed three Boko Haram leaders on a terrorist list. This enables the US government to freeze any US based assets and:
“These designations demonstrate the United States’ resolve in diminishing the capacity of Boko Haram to execute violent attacks”
I don’t believe this designates the group itself as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” but is at least a positive move and recognises the leaders as terrorists.
Pray earnestly for the protection of Nigerian Christians tomorrow (Sunday 24th June).
Tags: Christian Persecution, News, Politics, Religion Society
June 23rd, 2012 at 3:25 pm
It’s a long expected response from the U.S government to us christians in ñortharn nigeria.
June 23rd, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Murdering Christians for political advantage is a sad business. Sadder have been the western media that, for far too long, colluded with this by reporting the violence as “clashes between Christians and Moslems” (always mentioned in that order).
Still, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Let’s look forward to conversions among those carrying out the attacks.