Militants Are Flushing Out Boko Haram Members By Using Bees And Deadly Snakes

Ever since Boko Haram attracted international attention for the mass kidnapping of over 200* Nigerian schoolgirls in April, the world has kept a watchful eye on the Islamist group.

Boko Haram's mission is to instill an Islamic state in Nigeria, a country whose religious makeup is basically split down the middle.

Approximately half of Nigerian citizens identify as Muslim and half practice Christianity.`

Nigeria has been battling the insurgent group for nearly five years now, and claims to be winning.

In an odd development, Islamists fighting for Haram are leaving their hiding place in droves after a number of top-level leaders fell victim to ceaseless attacks by snakes and bees.

Just to clarify, Boko Haram insurgents were largely operating from unknown locations in Nigeria's forests.

This news comes much to the delight of Nigerian military forces, who have been working to flush out insurgent forces for months.

On Thursday, two Boko Haram gunmen were arrested in the North Eastern city of Maiduguri following the insurgents' forest exodus.

One of the insurgents arrested is Kolo Mustapha. Mustapha told Nigeria's Vanguard newspaper:

Most of us are fleeing because there are too many snakes and bees now in the forest. Once they bite, they disappear and the victims do not last for 24 hours.

Until this confirmation surfaced, the insurgents' departure was unclear. Sources say that Boko Haram members believe the snake and bee attacks have superstitious implications.

Allegedly, many insurgents believe the snakes and bees are the reincarnated souls of their victims who have come for revenge.

The development comes in the wake of a suspected Boko Haram bomb attack that took place in Nigeria's capital city, Abuja. The explosion in a shopping mall killed 22 and injured many more.

*Editor's Note: The actual figure of Nigerian schoolgirls who were abducted varies from source to source, but US intelligence estimates that number to be 276.

H/T: Daily Mail, Photo Credit: Getty Images