ANKARA
Nigerian militant group, Boko Haram, whose abduction of 20 women on Thursday follows the kidnapping of 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria's north eastern Borno state two months ago, has been added in a list of al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups by the Turkish government.
The decision by the Turkish cabinet to add Boko Haram to the list of people, institutions and organizatons related to al-Qaeda, was announced in Tuesday's official government gazzette.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in Nigeria's local Hausa language, first emerged in the early 2000s preaching against government misrule and corruption.
The group later became violent, however, after the death of its leader in 2009 while in police custody.
In the five years since, the shadowy sect has been blamed for numerous attacks – on places of worship and government institutions – and thousands of deaths.
www.aa.com.tr
