Boko Haram Uses School Girls in Nigeria Suicide Bombings

Multiple attacks in northeastern Nigeria in the past week days kill hundreds.
10:36 | 01/13/15

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Transcript for Boko Haram Uses School Girls in Nigeria Suicide Bombings
Usually you can. Three suicide bomb attacks in Nigeria in just two days. But what has shocked the people most is that the suicide attacks were carried out. My teenage girls coerced by Bogle a wrong. Wright county international hot spot Nigeria. I'm Michelle Franzen in New York the same group that kidnapped more than 200 school girls last April. Is now using school girls to carry out suicide bombings. In northeastern Nigeria the BBC's will Ross has more on the violence and the strength of vocal wrong. It's been a week of horrific violence. The optimum for the weekend bomb attack in might do agree city. Nineteen people were killed Nigerians was shocked when officials said the suicide bomber was a ten year old go. There were two more attacks in the same region just yesterday. The remains of suicide belts were found on the bodies of two young women who carried out an attack in parties come. The deadliest of the recent violence has been in and around the town of pica close to the border with Chad. Vocal around jihadist captured a military base there earlier this month and then went on a killing spree. There's the could fled across the border into safer parts of northeast Nigeria leaving behind terrific scenes. No one knows how many died in part it's too dangerous to go and counts let alone bury the dead. But Amnesty International says it could be the group's worst ever attack. Up speaking with several eyewitnesses. He told us that book and her ram when its house to house targeting civilians. And we believe that what's happened is this is just the latest in a series of attacks were poking around is attempting to carve outs a territory in northeast Nigeria. Book overruns list of atrocities he's long and gruesome. The 219. School girls kidnapped from that dormitories the still missing nine months home. At gunpoint they were forced onto trucks and driven away. The violence in the northeast of Nigeria is relentless. Not surprisingly their calls for more countries around the world to do more to help in the fight against local or. Person and America are training some troops there but there's no desire whatsoever to become more deeply involved in this conflict. Elections it's you next month. The jihadist attacks have not really become a national issue a sign of how divided the north and south of this country. The politicians are focused on the campaigns. President good luck Jonathan who seeking another term has not yet commented on the recent bloodshed. Will Ross BBC news Lagos. And we are joined now by Reuters chief Nigeria correspondent champ Tim Cox in Lagos. Tim this suicide attack brutal use of girls as suicide bombers. Is sending shockwaves throughout that area what are you hearing. Well I mean it's it is sending so what is it's it's not the first time that the program and use children I think to carry out. That attacks they've they've been using children below. They've been recruiting pools to be recruiting employees. I'm. Some of whom they kidnapped from schools all from villages. Where the kids going to school. Yes it it if this is a particularly. Not the example all of both crimes. Always topical minors and that the willingness to do absolutely anything to create mayhem. In the areas in which they operate. Indeed motorists. The citizens' safety novel being would be pac ten year ago that was used to blow a marketplace and emit degree on Saturday. Morally certainly over the weekend. There could be in terms of what is it precedent a change in tactic and it is it. Shift in the way of gravel operate. Another it's not they've been becoming an increasingly brutal over the last yeah always. It's not mindless but it always looks mindless. The kind of butted him in carrying us that this is very much part of a path and they have used in the suicide bombers have used children. Served strapping a bomb into a ten year only it's not unimaginable that this kind of thing that they were Dick. No but what about the added brutality that these girls are likely part of a large group that were kidnapped last year. Well we don't know whether they were possibly the two ball a group we know good they've that they will. Oh my study pools to do. What they did little or if they even have any understanding. We've we've done an artificial that this was one of Paula back group. Because they have been so many other cases were above ground have kidnapped. A groups in in the northeast a bit this beast this particular group who were kidnapped in April this year's that should vote goes became. Famous worldwide because it's with the campaign aimed at sending the government into big mole. Trying get them back. But in the meantime there have been dozens possibly hundreds of children kidnapped by the rebels in fact a couple of weeks ago. The riposte about a 170 women and children. Kidnapped from the village. An event we registered would still talking about mr. bongo but that they fit into the most brutal path and of brutality by the group. I have been doing this for some time for about a year and facts that aren't because up until. All right on the attack in the city of Boggan there are dispute is death tolls about how many people died especially those who might have drowned trying to escape from Boca from. What can you tell Alison why the large dispute in those numbers. Bum I think it's just an indication of just how difficult it is to confirm. Information in Nigeria where where official us sources that often don't tell the truth the little. Difficult and especially via in this part of Nigeria there's no there's virtually no mogul but a network and that. Because visited been shut down by the military. With the insurgents were using it to set off bombs. And the rest today has just been attacked by the insurgents themselves there are a very full lines of communication you have the military that. Will multiple except that occasionally to time about something missing in the media that they disagree with government the very rarely comments. On anything going awful on the northeast because they consider to be its national security. Massa operational security and they see the press is very much be the enemy of of their run a campaign now that. And I knew just how much of a complete units very difficult. It's very dangerous for journalists to go there I've been good to back them the full I didn't think it would be very difficult week ago now because it's just been a state of of all out war and journalists all very much targets. So. You combine all there's faxes and it's just very difficult to get. Yet have reliable information plus you have. Local officials do you tend sometimes I'm not saying there's nothing in this case to exaggerate numbers because they know that we'll get multiple global attention. If they do so between the military that tends sensitive on the study the numbers and local. Officials intend to overstate them right out what the real figure is off 2000 votes down. Very hard I think it's quite difficult to kill that many people's front over narrator might not. That said the way they did it did sound pretty brutal they've they've pretty months went from house to house choosing people. In their homes so its it's possible that the that is the correct figure. Today the government of Cameroon says it has killed 143. Bogle who robbed fighters it seems that this is not just. Nigeria's problem anymore right. No that's right it did pretty much ceased to be nudges Obama a couple of years ago when when Nigerian those. A state of emergency. Against. The rebels and so the push them out into the the border areas that area web poke around all rights especially around baca. It is the it's very much did that a bit of wet full countries meet such questions these people who book around because you have you've basically Karen attacked him in the completed the chat. Being Tunisia and the completing the count rouge musical very porous Boras of that of course borders of that sorry. And it's it's it is very much at a regional problem and I think increasing need Nigeria's neighbors who are reluctant. To allow this to the comment Altamont costing that is Doherty is in that they do need to take. Action about that should not Cameroon is is this seems to be engaging with the Mona. More or less daily basis and Anna and I think Chapman and these adults. Authorities have review. Security procedures and seeing it as a original threat not just the problem and I'm here. So how strong is vocal her Robin how many soldiers. Today do they have. McVeigh did the arms of their lives is. No one really. Knows though if they do that they haven't done a very good job of making it public we have week we think. Better off several hundred fighters. But I'm considering the amount of mayhem that there be able to schools it is coop are baffling that the group the main number of mold and just a few hundred Ken and some have run riot have a system of laws territory. And with a apparently the united the the ministry of Nigeria and and the ministry of the governments in the region unable to stop them. They are all certainly getting stronger. Doing what they do best which is the just cold making some parts of of the northeast of my dear simply ungovernable. At and how much that success the success they've had increasing. That so called Islamic state whether they've really sets up kind of admit and administration. Or law already controlling significant territory. What they all who will base sunny all strong that is is it's. Just. Rent bring map pulpit of Nigeria Morales failed states. All right Reuters chief Nigeria correspondent Tim Cox in Lagos thank you for joining yankees. And you can keep up with this story in real time by downloading the ABC news app and star in this story for exclusive updates on the go. You've been watching international hot spot I'm Michelle Franzen in New York.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

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