NBC News quotes Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham on Boko Haram’s deadly attacks in Maiduguri, one of Nigeria’s key cities:
“The city is certainly symbolic,” said Dr. J. Peter Pham at the Washington, D.C., think tank The Atlantic Council. “In the narrative of Boko Haram that is where the martyrdom of hundreds of its fighters took place.”
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“Even if they are unsuccessful, they underscore the weakness of the Nigerian government,” Pham added. “Storming through the town, even if they did not take it, would be a victory for Boko Haram. It would be a bloodbath, but it may be something they attempt.”