British special forces swept into the northern Nigerian city of Sokoto on March 8th to free a Briton and an Italian held by Islamic extremists for ten months. The mission failed, leaving the hostages dead and Nigeria with a growing sense of doom. Based in the city of Maiduguri, the extremists calling themselves Boko Haram, or "Western ways are sacrilege", have risen to prominence in the past two years. They amplify demands for strict adherence to sharia law with bombings that have killed more than 1,000 people.
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