ISVG crafted this comprehensive network chart of Tamerlan & Dzhokar Tsarnaev from the large number of open source articles published by traditional media and think tanks in the month after the Boston Marathon Bombings.  This chart illustrates the two bombing suspects, their relationships, and key events/facts that are being evaluated to terrorist and extremist organizations.  This visualization includes all reporting through 11 May 2013.

ISVG built this visualization by blending analytical products from the Palantir Government platform in Tableau Public to create an interactive capability for making sense of all the reporting on this event.  We invite you to utilize the interactive features by hovering the mouse over the objects with the corresponding reference letters (“A”, “B”, “C”, etc.).To view the source document for each object, click on each object to open it in a new window.  Make sure that your browser does not have pop-ups blocked.

This blog post is a simplified visualization that focuses on the suspected linkages of the Tsarnaev brothers’ network.  Click here for the larger network of the events and entities involved in the Boston Marathon Bombings.

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This visualization represents all violent group data collected in Mali from January 2011 to present.  Violent event types that meet ISVG’s criteria for collection include the following: armed assaults, arsons, bombings, hijackings, hostage takings, and robberies.

We invite you to utilize interactive features by clicking on data-points throughout the visualization.  When you select a data-point all graphs will automatically update to reflect accurate data pertinent to your selection.  For example, if you were to click on “AQIM” the remaining fields would update to show data specifically pertaining to that group. Graphs can be reset be clicking in the white space of the graph where you made your selection.

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Link to Visualization

Created by ISVG researchers, the above  link brings you to a detailed visualization of this ongoing violent trend.

Link to Visualization

Created by ISVG researchers, the above  link brings you to a detailed visualization of this ongoing violent trend.

Link to Visualization

Created by ISVG researchers, the above  link brings you to a detailed visualization of this ongoing violent trend.

In violence-riddled Northwestern Pakistan, attacks against educational institutions are often eclipsed in the media by higher casualty events.  While these attacks against educational institutions often produce relatively few casualties, they have a dramatic impact on Pakistan’s social system. Education is a fundamental human right and it is essential to restoring normalcy, especially in conflict situations.[1] Targeting educational facilities is intended to deter children—especially girls—from attending school and from getting an education.

Figure A. (Left Image) Represents Total Attacks in Pakistan between 1/1/2009 and 12/31/2011 (Right Image) Represents Total Attacks against schools in Pakistan between 1/1/2009 and 12/31/2011.

Educational institutions are the most frequently targeted types of buildings in Pakistan. Despite the high frequency of attacks, the number of casualties caused by these events is extremely low—educational buildings are the only targets of violent attacks that produced fewer casualties than there were total events. This is likely due to attacks taking place against these buildings when students are not present. The motivation for these kinds of attacks appear to differ from the motivation behind attacks against other target types in this region; the attacks on schools appear to be carried out with the intention of causing damage to the facility instead of creating casualties. By causing damage to the educational facility, it makes it more difficult for children to attend school. It is possible that rather than creating casualties, the real goal is to discourage children from pursing an education altogether.

Focus on Gender

On January 15, 2009, the deputy leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced that a ban would be placed on female education in the northwestern region of the Swat district in Pakistan. He told the citizens in the region that they needed to take their daughters out of all schools, public or private. If people failed to do this, he said, the schools would be bombed and violators would face death.[2] The TTP declared girls’ education a “vulgarity” and “un-Islamic”, and many attacks were carried out specifically to keep girls from being able to get an education.[3]

From 2009 to 2011, there were approximately 244 attacks on boys’ and girls’ schools in Pakistan. Of the 244 attacks, approximately 149 (61%) targeted girls’ schools.

When looking at the number of attacks by year, overall attacks against schools—regardless of gender—are experiencing a similar trend with an increase in the number of attacks in 2010. In 2009 and 2011, there were more attacks on girls’ schools—however, the number of attacks against boys’ and girls’ schools in 2010 is almost identical. Further research should be conducted into the reasons why the number of attacks against Pakistani educational facilities increased so dramatically in 2010.

Overall, it appears that the number of attacks targeting educational facilities in Pakistan are decreasing, with the number of attacks in 2011 being the lowest they have been since 2009.

Level of Education

Although the TTP issued a ban on female education, during an interview a TTP spokesman claimed that “primary schools can remain open as long as the girls and female teachers observe ‘purdah’ [cover their bodies].”[4] This statement seems to directly contradict the ban on female education, and by breaking down the attacks by level of education, it can be seen that most attacks have actually targeted primary schools from 2009-2011. One reason for this may be that the TTP wants to deter children from attending school at a young age. One possible explaination might be that if the attacks target secondary and tertiary schools, it sends a message, but the students already have a cetain level of education to fall back on if they decide to drop out. So, rather than wasting resources on targeting institutions that provide higher levels of education, the majority of the attacks target schools at the lowest level.

Conclusion

Educational facilities are the most targeted building type in Pakistan, but those attacks often go overlooked because they tend to cause a relatively low number of casualties. As of January 2009, the TTP has banned female education in the violence-riddled Northwestern Swat Valley. However, from 2009 to 2011, attacks have targeted both male and female educational facilities. Because education is an essential element of progress, it is possible that attacks on schools are intended to deter children from attending school and obtaining an education.

*Data current as of March 5, 2012

References

[1]“UNICEF Condemns Attacks on Schools in Pakistan.” Unicef. January 23, 2009. http://www.unicef.org/media/media_47436.html.

[2]“Pakistan: Militants Announce Ban on Education in Swat.” IRIN News. January 1, 2009. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=82161.

[3]“Pakistan: Mutilated for Venturing Outdoors.” Indian Defence. January 16, 2012. http://www.indiandefence.com/forums/f13/pakistan-mutilated-venturing-outdoors-14163/.

[4]“Pakistan: Militants Announce Ban on Girls’ Education in Swat.” IRIN News. January 1, 2009. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=82161.

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is a sin”, began in the early 1990s but did not become as active as it currently is until around 2002. Boko Haram officially calls itself Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad which is Arabic for “group committed to propagating the Prophet’s teachings and jihad” ^[1]. Boko Haram is modeled after Afghanistan’s Taliban and its goal is to create and implement a stricter form of Islamic Sharia law in Nigeria ^[1].

Although Boko Haram’s initial intentions were to bring change to Nigeria, the groups’ most recent string of attacks suggest that the group has been influenced by Al Qaeda affiliated groups and other regional situations in Africa. Government officials from the United States, Algeria, Mauritania, Niger, and Nigeria suggest that Boko Haram has been in collaboration with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which is operational in northern African, and Al Shabaab in Somalia ^[2][3][4].

Boko Haram’s early targets often had links to the Nigerian government—including police officers, military personnel, and military facilities—banks, churches, markets, and schools ^[3]. However, Boko Haram’s most recent attacks implemented the use of advanced bombs and military tactics that are similar to those previously used by both AQIM and Al Shabaab. The increase of militant activity carried out by Boko Haram could also be linked to the recent replacement of Muammar Gaddafi by the Libyan Transitional National Council and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In spite of the best intentions of the North African countries, many of Libya’s military weapons were smuggled out of Libya and have been distributed amongst Africa’s militant groups, including AQIM and Boko Haram ^[5].

Boko Haram’s first suspected Al Qaeda-influenced attack came on August 26, 2011, in Abuja, Nigeria, when a suicide bomber drove a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) into the United Nations headquarters, killing 24 people ^[6]. This attack was believed to be the first suicide bombing committed in Nigeria. On November 4, 2011, Boko Haram launched a series of suicide bombings, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, and armed assaults that targeted Nigerian military buildings, police stations, banks, and several churches in Maiduguri and Damaturu, Nigeria ^[7]. Nigerian official reports said that upwards of 100 people were killed in these attacks and several hundred were injured ^[7].

Boko Haram struck again on December 25, 2011, when churches in Madalla, Jos, Gadaka, and Damaturu, Nigeria, and the headquarters for the State Security Service (SSS) were targeted by suicide bombers and IED attacks. Nigerian officials reported that approximately 40 people were killed and almost 60 people were injured ^[8].

On January 20, 2012, at least 100 Boko Haram militants—many dressed in police uniforms—killed 170 people, including Nigerian police and soldiers, and injured upwards of 50 people during a string of bombings and armed assaults that targeted police stations, immigration offices, and the local headquarters for the SSS ^[9][10]. After the attacks, Nigerian police discovered at least 10 additional VBIEDs and hundreds of other unexploded IEDs ^[9].

Boko Haram is believed to have received bomb assembly training at AQIM militant camps in Algeria, Mali, Niger, and Chad^[11][12]. It is further reported that Boko Haram learned how to make IEDs at Al Shabaab training camps in Somalia^[11][12]. In 2009, Abdul-Rasheed Abubakar, an alleged Boko Haram member, claimed that he and one other man had been sent by former Boko Haram leader Muhammad Yusuf to train with the Taliban in Afghanistan ^[13]. Mamman Nur, the suspected second-in-command of Boko Haram and alleged Al Qaeda representative in Nigeria, returned from Somalia in July of 2011 ^[6][14]. Nigerian security forces that are tasked with tracking Boko Haram members have informed reporters that for the last six years, small groups of Boko Haram members have traveled to AQIM-controlled areas of Africa to learn how to construct explosive devices ^[4]. Most recently, Niger security forces arrested seven Boko Haram members traveling to Mali with possession of materials detailing the construction of explosive devices and the contact information of AQIM militants ^[15].

Although it is unknown the exact date that Boko Haram began to receive support from Al Qaeda-linked groups in Africa, there is a definitive time period when Boko Haram escalated the intensity of its attacks. The first known display of support to Boko Haram came from AQIM in the form of a eulogy following the death of Boko Haram’s leader, Muhammed Yusuf, in 2009 ^[16]. In a statement released to reporters in February 2010, Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of AQIM, pledged his support to Boko Haram by supplying weapons and training to its militants. During a June 14, 2010, interview with an Al Jazera reporter, Droukdel said that giving Boko Haram weapons would increase Al Qaeda’s standing in Africa and it would help “defend Muslims in Nigeria and stop the advance of a minority of Crusaders” ^[17][18].

In an October 2010 post on a militant-supportive forum, a person named “Ansar AQIM” reported that “[t]he assistance from the commanders of AQIM has reached Nigeria. I can’t give any numbers of how many brothers from the Sahel region moved back to Nigeria to train the youth of the tawheed” ^[3]. Boko Haram’s first known confirmation of militant support from an Al Qaeda supported group came in June 2011, when Boko Haram claimed that several of its fighters had recently returned from training with Al Shabaab in Somalia ^[19].

Boko Haram’s spokesman, Abul Qaqa, again reinforced Boko Haram’s links to Al Qaeda during a phone interview with reporters on November 24, 2011 ^[20]. On January 28, 2012, the Guardian of London published an article detailing an interview with the recently arrested Qaqa. Qaqa stated that Boko Haram’s key leadership had traveled to Saudi Arabia in August 2011 to discuss financial and logistical operations with Al Qaeda leaders ^[15].

The logistical support and expertise offered by AQIM and Al Shabaab to Boko Haram in recent years may be having an impact on violence in the region. Over the past six months, the amount of violent events carried out by Boko Haram has increased significantly; the events themselves have become more deadly as well, according to ISVG data collected from open reports.  Another possible indication that Al Qaeda’s influence is directly affecting the violence is the recent use of suicide bombers when carrying out attacks against government targets.

Sources

[1]

Stewart, Scott. The Rising Threat from Nigeria’s Boko Haram Militant Group. Retrieved from http://www.ihavenet.com/World-Africa-Nigeria-The-Rising-Threat-from-Nigerian-Boko-Haram-Militant-Group-SFOR.html

[2]

Channels (2012, January 25). Boko Haram got Al Qaeda Bombing Training: Niger’s Foreign Minister. Retrieved from http://www.channelstv.com/global/news_details.php?nid=31190&cat=Local

[3]

U.S. House Representative Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence (2011, November 30). Boko Haram Emerging Threat to the U.S. Homeland. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=emerging%20threat%20to%20the%20u.s.%20homeland&source

=web&cd=3&ved=0CEIQFjAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mipt.org%2FDesktopModu

les%2FMIPT_eDocuments%2Fhandlers%2FGetDocBinary.ashx%3Fd%3D9958&ei=UfAxT

5irKMHm0QHbpsXLBw&usg=AFQjCNEHAi8IJcz8fpM3wqModLGHgzT78g

[4]

The Moderate Voic3 (2012, February 1). UN Report: Al Qaeda Strengthened by NATO’s Libya War. Retrieved from http://themoderatevoice.com/137108/un-report-al-qaeda-strengthened-by-natos-libya-war/

[5]

AFP (2011, October 30). Officials, Experts Say Al-Qa’ida Establishing Links in Troubled African States. Retrieved from World News Connection

[6]

BBC News (2011, November 5). Nigeria Boko Haram Attacks ‘Kills 63’ in Damaturu. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15605041

[7]

Reuters (2011, December 30). Nigerian Church Bomb Death Toll Rises to 37, Wounded 57. Retrieved from http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/nigeria-church-bomb-death-toll-rises-to-37-wounded-57/

[8]

SkyNews (2012, January 23). Nigeria: More Bombs found as Death Toll Rises. Retrieved from http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16155028

[9]

Blair, David (2012, February 5). Al-Qaeda’s Hand in Boko Haram’s Deadly Nigerian Attacks. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/9062825/Al-Qaedas-hand-in-Boko-Harams-deadly-Nigerian-attacks.html

[10]

Perry, Alex (2011, September 11). Threat Level Rising: How African Terrorist Groups Inspired by Al-Qaeda are Gaining Strength. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2101780,00.html

[11]

Ajani, Jide (2011, September 4). UN House Bombing: The Hunt for Mamman Nur. Retrieved from http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/09/un-house-bombing-the-hunt-for-mamman-nur/

[12]

Anti-Defamation League (2012, January 24). Boko Haram: the Emerging Jihadist Threat in West Africa. Retrieved from http://www.adl.org/NR/exeres/0A52CE6C-05CA-455B-8C8A-2EECD82B2D69,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm

[13]

Kalu, Uduma (2011 September 3). How Nur, Shekau Run Boko Haram. Retrieved from http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/09/how-nur-shekau-run-boko-haram/

[14]

Brock, Joe (2012, February 4). Special Report-Nigeria’s Boko Haram: Between Rebellion and Jihad. Retrieved from http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE81304C20120204

[15]

Idoumou, R. & Guèye B. (2012, January 27). Faltering Al-Qaeda Turns to Boko Haram. Retrieved from http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2012/01/27/reportage-01

[16]

The Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (2010, October 3). In Depth Threat Analysis: The Tightening Ties between Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda. Retrieved from http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=3866&param=IDTA

[17]

IHS Jane’s. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)(International, Groups-International-Active.) Retrieved from http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-World-Insurgency-and-Terrorism/Al-Qaeda-in-the-Islamic-Maghreb-AQIM-International.html

[18]

Pham, Peter J. (2012, January 3). The Islamist Threat to Africa’s Rise in 2012. Retrieved from http://www.acus.org/new_atlanticist/islamist-threat-africas-rise-2012

[19]

The Investigative Project on Terrorism (2011, June 16). Al-Qaida Training Reaches Nigerian Islamists. Retrieved from http://www.investigativeproject.org/2981/al-qaida-training-reaches-nigerian-islamists

[20]

News 24 (2011, November 24). Boko Haram Claims Al-Qaeda Links. Retrieved from http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Boko-Haram-claims-al-Qaeda-links-20111124

[21]

Olagunju, Lasisi (2012, January 29). Boko Haram Confirms Al-Qaeda Link; As Cameroon Stations Soldiers at Nigeria’s Borders. Retrieved from http://tribune.com.ng/sun/front-page-articles/6254-boko-haram-confirms-al-qaeda-link-as-cameroun-stations-soldiers-at-nigerias-borders

Link to Visualization

Created by researchers Robert Berntsson and Meagan Wilder, the above  link brings you to a chronological visualization of this most recent mass terror event.

On November 4, 2011, Nigeria experienced a series of coordinated attacks in two of the country’s northern states: Borno and Yobe. Boko Haram, whose name means “Western Education is a Sin,” is a sectarian group that considers itself to be comprised of “people committed to the propagation of the prophet’s teachings and jihad.”[i]

Lead up:

Since the beginning of their terror campaign circa 2009, Boko Haram has been threatening and committing violent acts in northern Nigeria. The week before the November attacks, authorities began a campaign to collect weapons and arrest suspected members of the group. On October 31, 2011, police had begun going door to door in order to collect weapons in an attempt to curb the constant violence—especially in Borno state, where Boko Haram is based[ii]—fearing that an attack would be more probable with the upcoming Islamic holiday of Eid al Adha. Although Boko Haram is an Islamic group, their prominent goal is to establish Sharia or strict Muslim law throughout Nigeria and moderate Muslims have been among their victims in the past. Some believe the attacks were in response to this crackdown by authorities. Others assert that the reason for the majority of attacks occurring in Yobe rather than in Borno was because the militants were aware that authorities were on high alert and simply decided to move their operations to the neighboring state.

Attacks:

On November 4, 2011, Boko Haram was responsible for carrying out 25 different attacks in a several-hour span. The first attack occurred around 1320, when three suicide bombers detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) inside the gates at the Joint Task Force (JTF) headquarters in Maidurguri, Borno. The resulting explosion killed the three suicide bombers and no one else.[iii]

This image shows the remains of the black SUV that the Boko Haram suicide bombers used to detonate their VBIED at the Joint Task Force (JTF) headquarters in Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria.[1]

Approximately ten minutes following the bombing at JTF Headquarters, the El Kanemi College of Islamic Theology and a Nigerian State Security Service office were attacked by Boko Haram militants.

In Yobe, a series of attacks began around 1830 in the cities of Potiskum and Damaturu. In the city of Potiskum, militants carried out attacks with IEDs against six churches, the city’s anti-terrorism office, two police stations, and the 380 Housing Estate.

In Damaturu, IEDs were detonated at the Damaturu police headquarters, the First Bank of Nigeria, and a second, unreported police station.[iv] Boko Haram militants also shot at police officers on an unreported street and carried out a second VBIED attack at a military base in Damaturu.

The First Bank of Nigeria PLC was one of the buildings targeted by the Boko Haram attacks in Damaturu. [2]

Simultaneously, in the predominately Christian neighborhood of New Jerusalem in Damaturu, Boko Haram militants used IEDs to attack six more churches and a police station.[v]

Over 150 people died as a result of the attacks, including police and military personnel, Christians, and Muslims. Due to inconsistent reporting and differing tallies from government officials and other sources, the casualties that occurred as a result of each attack are not currently known. At least another 23 people were reported to be wounded in the attacks.[vi]

On November 5, 2011, Abul Qaqa, a spokesperson for Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview. In the interview, Qaqa claimed that only two suicide bombers were involved in the attacks, contesting official reports, which had stated that 10 suicide bombers were involved in the attacks.

Qaqa announced that Boko Haram would continue “attacking federal government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians.”[vii] Qaqa made it clear during the interview that Boko Haram would not stop until the government had changed their ways. The Nigerian government has not yet expressed any willingness to host talks with the group.

The Living Faith Church in the New Jerusalem (Christian) neighborhood of Damaturu was completely destroyed during the attacks on the city. The Living Faith Church was just one of over a dozen Christian churches that were targeted. [3]

In the weeks following the attack, the Nigerian Joint Task Force arrested 13 people believed to be involved in the attacks, although no names have been released. The arrested individuals, who were reported to be in Yobe, were taken to a military facility in Maiduguri for further investigation. The JTF is continuing to collect illegal weapons in the northeastern part of the country.[viii]

Significance:

The 25 attacks carried out by Boko Haram on November 4, 2011 show significant growth in the group’s capabilities. The November 4 attacks were sophisticated, well-coordinated and deadly. By carrying out attacks in Yobe, the group has proven that it is capable and willing to mobilize operations beyond their home state of Borno.

Sources:

[i] Johnson, T. (2011, November 7). Boko Haram. The Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.cfr.org/africa/boko-haram/p25739 on November 18, 2011.

[ii] Nigeria forces search homes for Boko Haram weapons. (2011, November 3). Reuters Africa. Retrieved from http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A201G20111103 on November 18, 2011.

[iii] 3 Suspected Boko Haram Militants Die in Explosion. (11, November 4). Panapress. Retrieved from http://www.panapress.com/3-suspected-Boko-Haram-bombers-die-in-explosion—12-803864-30-lang2-index.html

[iv] Suspected Boko Haram Militants Launch Complex Attack in Nigeria’s Yobe. (2011, November 7). Jane’s Terrorism Watch Update-Daily Report.

[v] Duku, J. (2011, November 7). Boko Haram: Exodus in Yobe as Death Toll hits 150. The Nation. Retrieved from http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/25500-boko-haram-exodus-in-yobe-as-death-toll-hits-150.html on November 18, 2011.

[vi] Duku, J. (2011, November 7). Boko Haram: Exodus in Yobe as Death Toll hits 150. The Nation. Retrieved from http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/25500-boko-haram-exodus-in-yobe-as-death-toll-hits-150.html on November 18, 2011.

[vii] Expect more deadly attacks-Boko Haram. (2011, November 6). The Nigeria Daily. Retrieved from http://www.thenigeriandaily.com/2011/11/06/expect-more-deadly-attacks-%E2%80%93-boko-haram/ on November 18, 2011.

[viii] Boko Haram: JTF Foils Attack, Arrests 13. (2011, November 23). The Nigerian Observer. Retrieved from http://www.nigerianobservernews.com/23112011/news/news3.html

Caption sources:

[1] SALLAH: THREE KILLED AS EXPLOSIONS HIT MAIDUGURI. (2011, November 5). Live Nigerian Post. Retrieved from http://www.livenigeriapost.com/headline/vanguard-sallah-three-killed-as-explosions-hit-maiduguri/ on December 8, 2011.

[2] The Yobe Massacre. (2011, November 14). The News. Retrieved from http://thenewsafrica.com/2011/11/14/the-yobe-massacre/ on December 8, 2011.

[3] Reynalds, J. (2011, November 12). Violence in Yobe State, Nigeria Aimed Mainly at Christians. ASSIST News Service. Retrieved from http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2011/s11110071.htm on December 8, 2011.

Link to Analysis:

Sectarian Violence Hits Afghanistan

The above link will bring you to a visual analysis of the attacks done by ISVG’s Rick Kania.  Kania used i2 Analyst’s Notebook for the majority of his work.