Boko Haram, is now the deadliest terrorist group in the world after being responsible for 6,664 deaths last year. It has killed more than any other terrorist group in the world, including the Islamic State, which killed 6,073 people in 2014, according to a report released Wednesday tracking terrorist attacks globally.
The Global Terrorism Index is an annual report by the New York City-based Institute for Economics and Peace. It tracks global deaths from terror attacks, which it defines as “an intentional act of violence or threat of violence by a non-state actor.”
The index distinguishes between terror attacks and battlefield deaths, and notes that the majority of people killed by the Islamic State die in combat, including at least 20,000 people in 2014.
The total death toll of Boko Haram violence is also thought to be higher than the terror-related deaths tallied in the report. The highly respected Nigeria Security Tracker, compiled by the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations, found that over 6,000 people were killed in clashes between Boko Haram and Nigerian forces in 2014.
