The reality of Boko Haram and the limits of counter-terrorism

The rise of non-state actors, mainly terrorist organizations, in recent years has dramatically increased the volume of violence and number of casualties around the world. According to the Global Terrorism Index, prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the death toll from terrorism increased by 80 percent in 2014 and reached its highest level with 32,658 casualties, while the number of terrorist attacks increased 63 percent to 13,463. Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria were listed as the top five countries most affected by terrorism in 2015. While attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have topped headlines all over the world due to their trans-boundary characteristics, other terrorist groups, though as deadly and threatening for global security, receive little coverage.

One of these, the radical Islamist Boko Haram, became the world's deadliest terrorist group last year, killing and wounding thousands and causing the displacement of more than 1.5 million people in its quest to create an independent state in northern Nigeria. Its latest deadly attack took place on Jan. 30 in Dalori village, near Nigeria's biggest northern city of Maiduguri, killing 86 and wounding many more.

Even though the Nigerian government has been fighting against Boko Haram since 2009, the group gained international attention only after abducting 276 girls from their dormitories in the town of Chibok in 2014. Their whereabouts are still not known. Since then, the group has become more visible and announced the creation of a caliphate in the territory it controls. Also, its violence has spread across borders to Cameroon, Chad and Niger and has increased its influence with a pledge of allegiance to ISIL. As a result, it secured its place...