American military officials have said they believe that the faction of Boko Haram responsible for the kidnapping was backed by the Islamic State, which has criticized the kidnapping of Muslim students. Amnesty International said that at least five people had called security forces in the hours before the attack to warn them that Boko Haram was heading to Dapchi, but no help arrived. In past years, as it became increasingly violent, Boko Haram has been dogged by infighting and has split into factions, the most significant of which received the backing of the Islamic State. “Some of us were running towards them, but it felt like suicide to run to Boko Haram,” Mr. Mohammed said. Zainab Abubakar, one of the returned students, said that while with Boko Haram the girls were moved from place to place, apparently to avoid detection from security forces.

Source: New York Times March 21, 2018 12:56 UTC