- The Washington Times - Thursday, December 18, 2014

Boko Haram terrorists have killed at least 33 and kidnapped another 200 people in a raid on a remote village in north-eastern Nigeria on Sunday.

A survivor told the BBC that suspected Boko Haram militants had seized young men, women and children from Gumsuri village, the news source reported Thursday.

Although the attack happened on Sunday, survivors were only able to get the news out on Thursday after reaching the city of Maiduguri.

The exact number of missing and dead is unlcear. Reuters reported that 35 were killed and 100 women and children had been kidnapped, but many had fled to the bushes for cover. 

Although the terrorist group, which abducted 200 girls in April from a secondary school in nearby Chibok, has not claimed responsibility for the attack, military sources say that it bears the hallmark of Boko Haram, NBC News reported.

The attack is the latest in a slew of raids conducted by the group in Nigeria, raising questions about the country’s ability to protect civilians, especially near the north Cameroon border.

Cameroon’s army says it has killed 116 Nigerian militants who had attacked one of its bases, according to the Agence France Presse.

Meanwhile the abductions are on the rise. A man who claims he is a Boko Haram leader, Abubaka Shekau, last month rejected comments by the government that the militants were in talks to free the girls abducted from Chibok, saying he had “married them off” to commanders, in a video circulated online.

According to the BBC, the state of Borno has seen at least two militant attacks over the past few days.

Residents said that the armed militants attacked the border town of Amchide on Wednesday, raiding the market area and setting fire to shops and more than 50 houses.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in militant attacks this year in north-eastern Nigeria.

• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.

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