Nigeria is now the country with the highest number of attacks by the Islamic State (IS). This rise in IS attacks means that Nigeria has surpassed the likes of Iraq, Syria, and other war-torn Middle East countries, the report is published regarding Jihad Analytics, by a data processing agency on terrorism.
According to Jihad Analytics, “half of the attacks claimed by IS since the beginning of 2022 were in Africa, while the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), an affiliate of IS, is now most active in Nigeria.”
The Jihad Analytics data also showed that while Nigeria has recorded 162 IS operations since January 2022, Iraq has recorded 120.
“For the first time in the history of the jihadi group, Iraq is no longer the country where IS claims the highest number of operations: the group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is now more active in Nigeria,” the company said in the report.
Since it broke out from Boko Haram, ISWAP has been terrorizing northeastern Nigeria, accounting for 75 percent of terrorist attacks in the region.
“Attacks by insurgents have resulted in the killing of thousands, while over two million people have been displaced in the region,” the report added.
Despite the rise in terrorism throughout the country and the rampant human rights abuses committed by the Nigerian government, ICC reported recently that the United States approved a major arms sale to Nigeria last week. Additionally, the United States removed Nigeria from the State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) in 2021. The move occurred around the time of Secretary of State Alec Blinken’s visit, and it drew widespread criticism from human rights watchdogs around the world.