News / Africa
20 Boko Haram Islamists killed in Nigeria
03 Mar 2013 at 12:31hrs | Views
Nigeria's military says it killed 20 Boko Haram Islamists while repelling an attack by the extremist group in the embattled northeastern state of Borno.
"Boko Haram terrorists attempted to attack a military barracks (in Borno) at about 5am" (1500 AEDT) on Sunday, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement.
He said the attack occurred in the village of Monguno, about 200km from Borno's restive capital of Maiduguri, considered Boko Haram's home base where the radical group has been blamed for scores of deadly attacks.
The raid on the military barracks "was repelled", Musa said. "The encounter led to the deaths of 20 Boko Haram terrorists."
He said the gunmen, armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenade launchers had stormed the military site in three 4X4 trucks and eight motorcycles.
Boko Haram's insurgency is estimated to have left 3000 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.
The Islamists have said they are fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, but their demands have repeatedly shifted.
A video posted on YouTube last month featured gunmen claiming to be from Boko Haram who said they abducted a French family of seven from a Cameroon nature park near the Nigerian border.
The video marked a departure for the Islamist group, which had never before claimed the kidnapping of a Westerner and some have questioned whether the Nigerian Islamists did in fact carry out the abductions.
France has said Boko Haram is responsible for the attack and is likely holding the family members, including four children, in Nigeria.
"Boko Haram terrorists attempted to attack a military barracks (in Borno) at about 5am" (1500 AEDT) on Sunday, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement.
He said the attack occurred in the village of Monguno, about 200km from Borno's restive capital of Maiduguri, considered Boko Haram's home base where the radical group has been blamed for scores of deadly attacks.
The raid on the military barracks "was repelled", Musa said. "The encounter led to the deaths of 20 Boko Haram terrorists."
He said the gunmen, armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenade launchers had stormed the military site in three 4X4 trucks and eight motorcycles.
The Islamists have said they are fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, but their demands have repeatedly shifted.
A video posted on YouTube last month featured gunmen claiming to be from Boko Haram who said they abducted a French family of seven from a Cameroon nature park near the Nigerian border.
The video marked a departure for the Islamist group, which had never before claimed the kidnapping of a Westerner and some have questioned whether the Nigerian Islamists did in fact carry out the abductions.
France has said Boko Haram is responsible for the attack and is likely holding the family members, including four children, in Nigeria.
Source - 9msn
