cnn's slad dutyier with more. it's just mind boggling. >> reporter: it is, carol. but, in fact, this has been what boek aram has since 2009. rights groups say they have killed thousands of people, just this year alone, 1 tlourks 500 people have been killed in violence. this latest atrocity, the abduction, and now as you heard, the leader -- supposed leader of the group, abu backar saying not only has he abducted these girls, he's going to sell them. these parents sent them to school, they were in the dorms sleeping in the middle of the night. the armed assailants stormed into the classroom, woke the girls up, shootout with security guards, carted them away into the forest after setting fire to the school. we had suspected for quite some time they may have been trafficked into neighboring chad, and now for the parents, this can't be -- if you thought it couldn't get any worse for them, it just has. because their worst fears are being realized, carol. >> so what's the point? what do they want? why do they hate these girls? >> reporter: well, boca haram means western