Attacks by Nigeria's Islamist Militant Group

Boko Haram attacked an air base in Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, on Dec. 2. According to reports, more than 300 Boko Haram fighters attacked the base, reportedly riding trucks and an armored vehicle captured from the military, and attempted to destroy vehicles and infrastructure by using explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and fire. The attack was launched around 2:30 or 3 a.m., with firefights continuing for approximately five hours.

Although Boko Haram has launched significant attacks before, operations by such large groups of militants have grown less frequent as ongoing Nigerian military operations have attempted to disrupt the militants' movements and staging. Nigerian security forces have been conducting ground operations meant to locate and destroy pockets of Boko Haram fighters. Therefore, this attack does not demonstrate a new capability for the militant group; rather, it highlights the ineffectiveness of Nigerian military efforts to interdict militant attacks on critical locations, whether urban areas or military installations.

Boko Haram's targeting of military aircraft and the base from which they operate could indicate an attempt to delay or interrupt ongoing operations against Boko Haram camps in the northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, which have been under a regional state of emergency since May 14. During the attack, militants were able to destroy three military aircraft -- although military officials claimed they had been decommissioned already -- as well as two military helicopters. The group's success in destroying equipment critical to Nigerian military operations against the militant group could compel Boko Haram to attempt attacks against similar targets in the future. But despite Boko Haram's ability to mount such a notable attack, the militant group is still not an existential threat to the Nigerian government. It continues to be limited in both geographic reach and military capabilities.

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