[An Nahar] Boko Haram... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
's brutal Islamist insurgency has stalled Nigeria's development, inflamed ethnic tensions and raised concern among its neighbors, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday at the start of bilateral security talks.
Wendy Sherman, U.S. under-secretary of state for political affairs, said the United States was ready to help Nigeria "develop a multi-faceted strategy" to contain the violence, but warned that a military crackdown alone would not work.
The Boko Haram conflict has "increased tensions between various ethnic communities, interrupted development activities, frightened off investors and generated concerns among Nigeria's northern neighbors," Sherman said.
The krazed killer group has said it is fighting to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria and has carried out waves of attacks across the region.
Some of the violence has occurred along the northern borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger amid fears that Boko Haram fighters could spill into neighboring states.
The Islamist group claimed the kidnapping of a French family, including four children, in Cameroon in February. They were released in April.
A state of emergency declared in May remains in place across the northeast, Boko Haram's stronghold, as the Nigerian military pursues a campaign aimed at crushing the group.