Boko Haram utilizes women and children to carry out attacks

In the months following its pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), Boko Haram has reportedly received training from IS jihadists. On May 26, a Boko Haram leader was killed, and Nigerian troops found thousands of Euros on his person. The substantial amount raises concerns that IS has begun to assist Boko Haram financially. As it struggles to hold on to territory in Nigeria, Boko Haram has increased its use of women and children to carry out attacks in Nigerian towns.  UNICEF reports that women and children have carried out three-quarters of all Boko Haram attacks last year. Furthermore, according to UNICEF, 10,000 Nigerian children have been separated from their families since the jihadist group’s reign of terror commenced in Nigeria six years ago.

The spike in suicide attacks by women and children highlights new recruitment and strategy tactics in which Boko Haram is attempting to circumvent security and surveillance measures targeting male suspects.

The terror group’s most recent attack on May 16, for example, which left at least seven dead at a busy market, was perpetrated by a female suicide bomber and is one of many such Boko Haram female-led onslaughts. It has been suggested that female jihadists appear less suspicious, as their baggy clothing easily conceals weapons.

Amid numerous Boko Haram mass-kidnappings of women and children, analysts have begun investigating why so many of those abducted have become suicide bombers. Suggested reasons included Boko Haram’s effective indoctrination among captives as well as using force or coercion.

While Boko Haram’s shift in strategy can be traced back to 2013, when the kidnappings of women and children began, it has evolved to the point where the Nigerian military reported last July that Boko Haram had an all-female division with the purpose of recruiting female attackers. Nigerian military personnel have reported women found among Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa forest opening fire on soldiers attempting to rescue them.

Boko Haram’s recent surge of female-led attacks could be an effort to take advantage of the global attention it received from the April 2014 kidnapping of 300 schoolgirls. The group’s use of such bombers, however, is not unique. In fact, Al Qaeda utilized them as well in the mid-2000s, and Islamic State has recently issued a declaration that women could serve as suicide bombers with or without their Husband or guardian’s permission.

As Boko Haram continues to gain attention in its jihadist campaign, the group will likely continue to use female suicide bombers as a primary tactic for one straightforward reason: it works. Therefore, Nigerian security forces must be cognizant of this fact and alter its security measures accordingly.