Boko Haram Divided over Using Child Suicide Bombers

A U.S. military official says Boko Haram is splintering internally over disagreements on the use of child suicide bombers.

Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, a nominee to lead Africom – the U.S. military's Africa Command – says some Boko Haram members are unhappy with their leader's level of loyalty to ISIS.

Reuters reports that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has ignored the Islamic State's demands to stop using children as suicide bombers, causing splits within its ranks.

"Several months ago, about half of Boko Haram broke off to a separate group because they were not happy with the amount of buy-in, if you will, from Boko Haram into the ISIL brand," Waldhauser said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

"He's been told by ISIL to stop doing that. But he has not done so. And that's one of the reasons why this splinter group has broken off," he explained.

A UNICEF report released in April estimated that a fifth of the suicide bombers used by Boko Haram are children, 75 percent of whom are girls.

Waldauser says the internal conflict within Boko Haram could intensify threats to the West.

"What concerns me is the breakoff group of Boko Haram who wants to be more ISIL-like and consequently buy into the ISIL-brand of attacking Western interests," he said.

Since its rise to power in Nigeria in 2009, the terror group has killed more than 15,000 and displaced millions.