Is this the correct approach?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/30/ni gerian-forces-storm-mosque

No winning 'hearts and minds' here, send the troops in, get the job done, end of story.

[Gromit]

But it won't be 'end of story'.

The last line of the story tells you this won't do anything but ecalate an already bad situation.

More than 10,000 Nigerians have died in sectarian violence since then (1999).

100 dead muslims, that must have really made your day.

[rov1200]

Does make you think we are wasting our time In Afghanistan when there is nothing to protect but a disjointed society. At least in Nigeria Shell is in evidence. Maybe because it involves European interests rather than US ones we would have been there like a shot.

[Gromit]

You could be onto something Rov.

The current escalation in violence is related to trying to re-distribute the oil wealth to the poor. Nigeria is notoriously corrupt, and the people in power work for the western oil companies and not their own people. In any such unjust situation, extremists of an creed can seem to offer salvation.

http://www.economywatch.com/economy-business-a nd-finance-news/Civil_war_threatens_nigeria_an d_global_oil_supplies_18-07.html