SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Boko Haram attacks military bases in northeast Nigeria
Kano, Nigeria, Jan 27 (AFP) Jan 27, 2019
Boko Haram jihadists attacked two military bases in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, near the border with Cameroon, injuring six soldiers, two military sources told AFP on Sunday.

The attacks were the latest against military targets in the region with security becoming a major campaign issue ahead of presidential and legislative elections next month.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 on a pledge to end the Islamist insurgency, is seeking re-election in the February 16 polls.

Early on Sunday, troops fought off an attack by fighters believed to be from the Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram in the town of Pulka along the border with Cameroon.

"The terrorists attacked around 1:15 am (0015 GMT) and soldiers engaged them in a 30-minute fight, forcing them to withdraw," a military officer said in an account confirmed by another officer.

The fighters' intention was to attack and loot the town after overrunning the base, said the officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Late on Saturday fighters from the same faction attacked another base in Logomani village near the town of Gamboru, leading to a fight that left six soldiers injured.

"Troops came under attack by Boko Haram terrorists who came in four gun trucks around 6:30 pm (1730 GMT)," the second officer told AFP.

"Six soldiers were wounded from bomb fragments," he said.

Boko Haram has intensified attacks on military targets in the region over several months.

On Wednesday and Thursday the jihadists attacked three bases in Borno and neighbouring Yobe states, stealing weapons and burning the bases.

Boko Haram's jihadist insurgency in northeast Nigeria has claimed 27,000 lives since 2009.

More than two million people have also been forced to flee their homes, triggering a humanitarian crisis in the region.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Why is there no life on Mars? Rover finds a clue
Third-ever confirmed interstellar object blazing through Solar System
Michelin-star chef prepares ISS meals for French astronaut

24/7 Energy News Coverage
UK lab promises air-con revolution without polluting gases
BRICS nations to denounce Trump tariffs
EU unveils long-delayed 2040 climate target -- with wiggle room

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
China says no ambition to build South Pacific military base
US, Japan, India, Australia pledge mineral cooperation on China jitters
US busts network that helped North Koreans obtain remote IT work

24/7 News Coverage
Deep-sea mining negotiators to meet under Trump shadow
'Happy suffering': the Brazilian gold rush that spawned iconic pictures
Wildfires spread across Europe



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.