Civilian JTF vs Boko Haram: Concern, hope in embattled restive city
MAIDUGURI (AFP) - Gripping a machete he claimed was stained with blood, a 24-year-old civilian manned a checkpoint in one of Nigeria's most dangerous cities, looking for members of a violent Islamist group. Vigilante groups have emerged with the encouragement of the military in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the original home base of Boko Haram Islamists, and their arrival has been both welcomed and fraught with potential trouble. [caption id="attachment_406641" align="alignnone" width="412"] A female vigilante frisks two women passengers of a motorized rickshaw on July 19, 2013 in Maiduguri, where Boko Haram has carried out most of its deadly attacks.[/caption] The city has been devastated by insurgent attacks and military raids that are estimated to have claimed hundreds of civilian lives. An unregulated, untrained and crudely armed civilian force may prove to be the last thing the city's imperilled residents need. Civilian gangs have in t...