2016 Dalori attack

2016 Dalori attack
Part of Boko Haram insurgency
LocationDalori, Nigeria
Date30 January 2016
Attack type
Suicide bombing, arson, mass murder
WeaponsFirebombs, suicide vests, small arms
Deaths86+
Injured62+
Perpetrators Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

On 30 January 2016, at least 86 people were killed and at least 62 more injured in an attack by Boko Haram militants on Dalori Village 4 kilometers from Maiduguri, Nigeria. The attack was a reprisal against the Civilian Joint Task Force, and it began when militants in two cars and on motorcycles entered Dalori and began to shoot at residents and firebomb their huts.[1] One estimate is that perhaps more than 100 militants were involved in the attack.[2] The attack lasted for about four hours, and the militants allegedly burnt children alive.[3]

The Nigerian Army was unable to fight the militants until reinforcements arrived, causing Boko Haram to retreat.[4] Fleeing villagers were hunted down by the insurgents, and three female suicide bombers blew themselves up among people who had escaped to the neighbouring village of Gamori.[5][6]

The exact death toll is not known, but at least 86 people are confirmed to have been killed. 62 others were treated for burns at the State Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri. Large parts of Dalori village were destroyed in the attack.[4]

Questions have been raised over how the militants were able to attack a settlement so close to army headquarters in Maiduguri, how they apparently drove unhindered past roads patrolled by soldiers and vigilantes, and how they were able to attack the village for several hours before the army intervened and drove them out.[2]

  1. ^ "At least 65 people killed in attack in Nigeria's Maiduguri". Reuters. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Another brutal attack by Boko Haram highlights the weakness of Nigeria's military". The Economist. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Survivor claims Boko Haram burned kids alive in attack that kills 86". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Boko Haram blast kills scores in Nigeria's Maiduguri". Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Boko Haram 'burned children alive' in Nigeria village attack". Times of Malta. Press Association. 31 January 2016.
  6. ^ The Guardian Newspapers (31 January 2016). "Scores die in terrorists attack in Dalori, Borno". The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 31 January 2016.