<\/p>\n
Boko Haram is flush with cash and weapons after a string of battlefield
\nadvances, but the fighting group could face a tougher fight with Nigeria\u2019s
\nneighbours, US intelligence officials have said.<\/p>\n
In an assessment of the group, whose five-year uprising has included
\nmassacres and kidnappings and spread from Nigeria into neighboring states,
\nthe officials said they did not believe it posed a major threat to
\nNigeria\u2019s oilfields in the south.<\/p>\n
They said the group has about 4,000-6,000 \u201chardcore\u201d fighters \u2013
\nconsiderably less than some estimates which have put the group\u2019s size at
\nup to 10,000.<\/p>\n
The group is \u201cfinancially secure\u201d from bank robberies, kidnappings and
\nother sources, and is able to go \u201ctoe-to-toe\u201d with the Nigerian military
\nafter capturing an arsenal of arms, the intelligence officials told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
However, the group could soon face an unprecedented test on the
\nbattlefield against more capable forces from Cameroon, Chad and Niger,
\nthey added.<\/p>\n
The military intervention of neighbouring powers \u201cpotentially can be a
\ngame changer in a positive way,\u201d one intelligence official said.<\/p>\n
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Boko Haram were
\nbelieved to be still holding about 300 schoolgirls they kidnapped early
\nlast year and had dispersed them to multiple locations.<\/p>\n
Around 10,000 people were killed in Boko Haram attacks last year. The
\nSunni Muslim group poses the biggest security threat in Nigeria, Africa\u2019s
\ntop oil producer and biggest economy.<\/p>\n
Concern over the insurgency appears to be and one of the main reasons for
\nwhat appears to be a surge in political support for opposition leader
\nMuhammadu Buhari in a February 14 election.<\/p>\n
Many Nigerians believe Buhari, as a former military ruler, will be able to
\nbolster the army\u2019s hapless efforts to counter the insurgency, and that as
\na Muslim he may even be able to take some of the wind out of Boko Haram\u2019s
\nideological sails.<\/p>\n
The officials said the group had been engaging in both small-scale and
\nlarger attacks in recent weeks and they expected this mixed pattern of
\noperations to continue during the election period.<\/p>\n
The US officials\u2019 comments came as Boko Haram suffered heavy losses after
\nlaunching a major attack into Niger on Friday for the first time.<\/p>\n
The clashes involved troops from Niger as well as Chad, which has adopted
\na leading role in the fight against the group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Boko Haram is flush with cash and weapons after a string of battlefield advances, but the fighting group could face a tougher fight with Nigeria\u2019s neighbours, US intelligence officials…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n