Boko Haram Latest News: U.S. Urges Nigeria to Proceed With February Elections Despite Islamist Threats

The Nigerian government should move forward with its election despite increasing violent attacks from the Muslim extremist group Boko Haram, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf issued the statement a few days after authorities said Boko Haram killed around 2,000 people in the northeast Nigerian town of Baga on Jan. 3.

Amnesty International described the killings as the "deadliest massacre" in the history of Boko Haram.

"Boko Haram has tended to, particularly around something like an election, use political issues or sensitivities to try to enflame tensions," Harf said, according to Reuters.

"We have seen that as one of their tactics and that is why it is so important to move forward with the election, because we believe it's important," she added.

Nigeria will be having its next elections scheduled for Feb. 15, the fifth poll it will conduct since the Western African country adopted civilian rule in 1999.

The particular election is expected to be a close race between incumbent Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his leading challenger Muhammadu Buhari.

Last week, reports said Boko Haram staged an attack on the Multinational Joint Task Force in Baga, Borno, that led to reports that the border town had fallen under the full control of the insurgents.

Musa Bukar, the chairman of the local government where Braga is located, said most of the bodies of the victims still litter the bushes, adding it is still not safe to pick them up.

Authorities noted that the deadly attack has displaced at least 30,000 people, 20,000 of whom are camping out the city of Maiduguri city, the capital of Borno state.

Arrangements to transport the 10,000 others from the towns of Cameroon, Chad, and Monguno, which is 60 kilometers from Baga, are being prioritized, CNN reported.

Mike Omeri, a government spokesman, announced that an offensive is underway to reclaim the areas from the militants.

According to Amnesty International, Boko Haram has been committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, victimizing thousands of Nigerians with killings and abductions that forced more to flee from their homes in Nigeria since 2009.