Nigeria’s president vows to defeat Boko Haram

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vowed Thursday to win the "war on terror" and defeat Boko Haram, just days after the armed group reportedly killed at least 100 people in the country’s northeast.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in his country's capital, Abuja, Jonathan thanked foreign nations for their support against Boko Haram, which also claimed to be behind the abduction more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria last month.

"As a nation we are facing attacks from terrorists," Jonathan said. "I believe that the kidnap of these girls will be the beginning of the end of terror in Nigeria."

Despite such pledges, Jonathan admitted on national television earlier this week that he had no idea where the girls were. Nigeria's response to the kidnappings has been widely criticized, including by activists and parents of the hostages who say the military's search operation has been inept so far.

Jonathan's administration has sought to appear more engaged with the plight of the hostages in recent days, especially after Boko Haram chief Abubakar Shekau released a video threatening to sell the girls as "slaves."

In a second kidnapping, a further 11 girls ages 12 to 15 were seized on Sunday from Gwoza, an area not far from the town in Borno state where the girls were kidnapped last month.

Police on Wednesday offered a $300,000 reward to anyone who could provide information leading to the rescue of the schoolgirls.

Meanwhile, reports on Wednesday said that Boko Haram rebels had killed at least 100 people on Monday in the town of Gamboru Ngala, near the border with Cameroon — also close to the site of last month's abductions. The death toll was initially reported by a senator to be as high as 300, but a security official said it is more likely to be around 100.

Residents said on Thursday that at least 50 bodies have been recovered, many burned beyond recognition.

"It seems they hid in the shops in order not to be killed while fleeing," Gamboru resident Abuwar Masta said. "Unfortunately, several explosives were thrown into the market."

Some residents criticized security forces for failing to prevent the attack. Masta and other traders said that some villagers had warned the authorities of an impending attack after armed group members were seen camping in the bushes near Gamboru.

Area Sen. Ahmed Zanna said the town had been left unguarded because soldiers there had been redeployed north toward Lake Chad in an effort to rescue the girls kidnapped on April 14.

The kidnappings and numerous other attacks by Boko Haram have overshadowed Nigeria's hosting of the economic forum, an annual gathering of the rich and powerful that replicates the one in Davos, Switzerland.

Boko Haram's five-year uprising has killed thousands across Africa's most populous country, with many questioning whether Nigeria has the capacity to contain the violence.

Al Jazeera and wire services