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So ... what happened, exactly?

While the details are still sketchy, what we do know so far is:

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• The militant terrorist group Boko Haram (which has been linked to the kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian school girls) is allegedly responsible.
• They unleashed a shooting and bombing spree on innocent people around Baga, a village in northern Nigeria.
• The total lives lost is reported as "up to 2,000" across 16 villages. The body count is currently unclear due to conflicting reports between eyewitnesses and the Nigerian government.
• The attacks began at a military outpost on Jan. 3, made their way to Baga on the 7th, and lasted until about the 10th, with three additional but separate suicide bombings over the weekend. That's almost a full week of violent, deadly attacks.
• The youngest reported suicide bomber was a 10-year-old girl. Yeah. They used a 10-year-old girl as a bomb.
• Mostly women and children were killed, and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes.
• Conflicting reports aside, this is the most devastating attack linked to Boko Haram to date.

"This attack reiterates the urgent need for Boko Haram to stop the senseless killing of civilians and for the Nigerian government to take measures to protect a population who live in constant fear of such attacks." — Daniel Eyre, Amnesty International

With details still unfolding and the major media organizations only just now starting to pay attention to this story, the best way to stay updated is through social media using the hastag #PrayForNigeria on both Facebook and Twitter. (Warning: some graphic images.)