◼ 'I wish there was such discrimination,' State Department official says when asked if Boko Haram only targets Christians - Joel Gehrke/Washington Examiner @joelmentum
"Boko Haram attacks everyone who is Nigerian. Boko Haram is an equal-opportunity threat for all Nigerian citizens."
That answer irritated Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the subcommittee panel on global human rights. "You said you wish they would differentiate or discriminate — they were so discriminating. Yes, they'll hit other Nigerians, they'll hit other westerners, but Christians are their main target," he countered....
"The question that I was asked was whether there was an official State Department position on the motivations of Boko Haram, which I simply don't have with me," Sewall replied. "If the question is, 'Does the leadership of Boko Haram and do the actions of Boko Haram target Christianity?' [the answer is] absolutely, unequivocally. More fundamentally, they target other things too and they are a threat to the government and the region. And so I loved the very clear-eyed characterization that was just offered [by Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas], which is that Boko Haram is motivated by hatred. I don't think anybody would disagree with that."
