Mikhail Kalashnikov would be proud of them Interesting they simply killed the prisoners- western cultures used to do the same, when we got cranky or were engaged in an existential conflict. Hopefully they ended up with some extra AK's they could put to good use.
I am puzzled as to the real combat effectiveness of the Loco Boko's. Is it simply they have not run into any resistance. One would think 10 or 12 untrained villagers , even armed, would not pose much of a problem for a squad of combat vets. Any insight on the grapevine, Grim?
I don't have many sources in Nigeria. Bear in mind, though, that open sources indicate that its numbers were bolstered by a 2010 prison break. Most of the rest are ethnic fighters rather than trained soldiers.
So I think it's not unusual for Africa: very effective killers against those they surprise or who don't fight back, but not very good against determined resistance. They're also a localized threat because so many of their fighters come from the Kanuri, a tribe with ritualized facial scars.
They might manifest among other ethnic groups, of course; their appeal could become less selective. But mostly they seem like a band of hardened criminals and tribal fighters. They've stood up against Nigeria's military at times, but I don't get the sense that they're a class outfit either.
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Mikhail Kalashnikov would be proud of them Interesting they simply killed the prisoners- western cultures used to do the same, when we got cranky or were engaged in an existential conflict. Hopefully they ended up with some extra AK's they could put to good use.
I am puzzled as to the real combat effectiveness of the Loco Boko's. Is it simply they have not run into any resistance. One would think 10 or 12 untrained villagers , even armed, would not pose much of a problem for a squad of combat vets. Any insight on the grapevine, Grim?
I don't have many sources in Nigeria. Bear in mind, though, that open sources indicate that its numbers were bolstered by a 2010 prison break. Most of the rest are ethnic fighters rather than trained soldiers.
So I think it's not unusual for Africa: very effective killers against those they surprise or who don't fight back, but not very good against determined resistance. They're also a localized threat because so many of their fighters come from the Kanuri, a tribe with ritualized facial scars.
They might manifest among other ethnic groups, of course; their appeal could become less selective. But mostly they seem like a band of hardened criminals and tribal fighters. They've stood up against Nigeria's military at times, but I don't get the sense that they're a class outfit either.
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