Nigeria set for air strikes against Islamist Militants

[SajeevJino]

Nigeria set for air strikes against Islamists​

Nigeria's military said Thursday that it was ready to launch air strikes against Boko Haram Islamists as several thousand troops moved to the remote northeast to retake territory seized by the insurgents.

"The entire Nigerian military is involved in this operation, including the air force," defence spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade told AFP.

"Definitely, air strikes will be used when necessary," he said.

A force of "several thousand" soldiers along with fighter jets and helicopter gunships have been deployed for the offensive in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa state, he added.

The operation follows President Goodluck Jonathan's decision to a impose a state of emergency in all three areas as he admitted that Boko Haram had "taken over" territory in the northeast and declared war against the government.

The Islamists, who have said they are fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, have become emboldened and better armed in recent months.

The military spokesman said operations had begun in all three states, but declined to provide specifics.

The operation is the largest against Boko Haram since 2009, when soldiers flooded Borno's capital Maiduguri, killing more than 800 people and forcing the insurgents underground for a year.

A military source who requested anonymity told AFP that Nigerian forces "raided some terrorist camps in the Sambisa Game Reserve," in northern Borno, early on Wednesday.

Zangina Kyarimi, who lives in the remote town of Marti in northern Borno towards the border with Chad, said that "large military teams" arrived late Wednesday.

"I saw dozens of military vans and trucks accompanied by tanks," he said by phone from the town, which is considered a Boko Haram stronghold.

"We are afraid of what might happen in the coming days. We are thinking of leaving," he said.

In Adamawa, a dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed, with all residents forced to stay indoors after sundown, the area's military spokesman Lieutenant Ja-afar Mohammed Nuhu told AFP.

In Yobe state in the town of Gashua, scene of a deadly Boko Haram attack on April 26, a convoy of military personnel rolled through heading north to the Niger border, resident Musa Saminu said.

"Some of them went to the banks and asked them to close down as a precaution," he told AFP.

While the military has vowed that the operation will "rid the nation's border territories of terrorist bases," there are doubts as to whether the security forces have the capacity to end the insurgency.

"The military is already overstretched," former US ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell said Wednesday in an article for the Council on Foreign Relations.

The northeastern borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger are porous, with criminal groups and weapons moving freely between countries.

Analysts warn that despite the military buildup, Boko Haram could scatter and find new safe havens.

Many have urged Nigeria to address the social causes fuelling the insurgency, including acute poverty and frustration over excessive government corruption.

Nigeria is Africa's top oil producer, but most of its estimated 160 million people still live on less than two dollars a day.

Nigeria's security forces have been accused of massive rights abuses in campaigns against Boko Haram, which may have amounted to crimes against humanity, according to Human Rights Watch.

The US State Department on Wednesday warned that any "heavy-handed" tactics or disregard for human rights during the emergency operations could damage bilateral relations.

Boko Haram is believed to be led by Abubakar Shekau, declared a global terrorist by the United States, but the extent of his control is unclear.

Shekau has rejected any form of negotiation with Nigeria's government.

The Boko Haram conflict is estimated to have cost 3,600 lives since 2010, including killings by the security forces.

Nigerian troops patrol Maiduguri in Borno State on April 30, 2013. Nigeria's military said Thursday that it was ready to launch air strikes against Boko Haram Islamists as several thousand troops moved to the remote northeast to retake territory seized by the insurgents.

A image grab made on May 13, 2013 said to show Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. Nigeria's military said Thursday that it was ready to launch air strikes against Boko Haram Islamists as several thousand troops moved to the remote northeast to retake territory seized by the insurgents.

Soldiers mount a road block in Maiduguri, Borno State on April 30, 2013. Nigeria's military said Thursday that it was ready to launch air strikes against Boko Haram Islamists as several thousand troops moved to the remote northeast to retake territory seized by the insurgents.


Yahoo!

 

[SajeevJino]

Dozens of militants killed by Nigerian military air raids​

Nigerian military pounded the camps of Islamic militant group Boko Haram's strongholds across the northeast, killing dozens of militants, the military said.

"The extremists were hit inside their camps since Wednesday in the affected states," Army spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade said on Friday.

The spokesman said a military plane was hit by an anti- aircraft missile used by the insurgents during the airstrikes yesterday but it was able to be piloted back to the base.

Olukolade did not give the exact number of militants killed in the air raids but said "dozens of the insurgents have been killed."

A large number of troops have been deployed to the oil-rich country's border posts to prevent the fundamentalists from escaping.

President Goodluck Jonathan had declared a state of emergency in the three troubled states - Adamawa, Yobe and Borno - after Boko Haram took over some parts of the country.

He had warned that the military will take "all necessary action" to "put an end to the impunity of insurgents and terrorists."

The air strike is under way in all three states put under emergency decree, but the extremists' traditional base of Borno state is expected to see the most intense fighting.

Meanwhile, mobile telephone services suddenly went off in the affected states, a few hours after the declaration of state of emergency.

In the recent past, Boko Haram had attacked telecom installations in the region accusing them of giving information about their whereabouts to the government.

The group, which says it abhors western education, has vowed to replace Nigerian government with an Islamic rule.

Dozens of militants killed by Nigerian military air raids

 

[SajeevJino]

Boko Haram has anti-aircraft, anti-tank guns, Nigerian Military says after destruction​

The Nigerian military said on Friday that it destroyed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, owned by insurgents in Borno State.

The military said in a statement that advancing troops of the Special Task Force have destroyed some terrorists' camps sited in the forests of Northern and Central Borno.

The statement was issued in Abuja on Friday and signed by Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information.

In his nationwide broadcast on May 14 while declaring a state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, President Goodluck Jonathan directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, to deploy more troops to the three states. The president said the insurgents were not only carrying out violent acts but had commenced the process of excising some part of the Nigerian territory for themselves, and were mounting strange flags.

Mr. Olukolade noted that heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, were also destroyed in the process.

He said the special operations, which preceded troop movement, resulted in the destruction of many of the insurgents' weapons.

Logistics, it added, such as vehicles, containers, fuel dumps and power generators were also destroyed.

It said that "the casualties inflicted on the insurgents in the course of the assault will be verified during a mop up.''

According to the statement, the Defence Headquarters is quite satisfied with the progress of the operation and the fighting spirit of participating troops. It urged the Special Task Force to sustain the tempo.

Meanwhile, border posts have all been manned by security personnel to prevent escape or infiltration by the insurgents.

Security sources earlier told PREMIUM TIMES that at least 20 members of the insurgents were killed in the Sambisa forest operation.

Sambisa, a forest that spreads over a distance of 300sq km from Damboa up to Gwoza, Bama and the Cameroon border, has been a hideout and training camp for the extremist Boko Haram sect. The camp was first discovered early this year when a military raid was launched there.

Boko Haram has anti-aircraft, anti-tank guns, Nigerian Military says after destruction - Premium Times Nigeria

 

[Ray]

Nigeria has always been chaotic, even though it is one of the better African countries.

There is however racial and ethnic tensions that adds to the flames.

The leading ethnic groups are the mainly Muslim Hausa and Fulani in the north; and the mainly Christian Yoruba in the south and west; and the mainly Christian Ibo in the east.

 

[SajeevJino]

Nigeria military says 10 insurgents killed, 65 arrested​

Nigeria's military said on Saturday it had killed 10 insurgents and arrested 65 as part of an offensive meant to wrest back control of parts of its remote northeast from an Islamist group seen as the main security threat to Africa's top oil producer.

A spokesman for Defence Headquarters also said the military had seized stockpiles of weapons including rocket-propelled grenades, guns and ammunition from areas around Maiduguri, the main city in the northeast.

The operation against the militant Islamist sect Boko Haram began after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.


Nigeria military says 10 insurgents killed, 65 arrested

 

[SajeevJino]

Nigeria army's offensive to continue "as long as it takes"​

Nigeria's army has vowed to continue its offensive against militants in the north-east "as long as it takes" to achieve its main objectives.

Brig Gen Chris Olukolade told the BBC the aim was to assert Nigeria's "territorial integrity as a nation".

Earlier, a 24-hour curfew was imposed in parts of the city of Maiduguri, where the military said it had arrested 65 "terrorists".

Maiduguri has been an important base for Boko Haram Islamist militants.

Earlier this week, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three north-eastern states - Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe - after a series of deadly attacks by militant groups.


'Well-planned' operation

Nigerian military spokesman Brig Gen Olukolade said the army would continue its operation "as long as it takes to achieve our objective of getting rid of insurgents from every part of Nigeria".

He told the BBC World Service Newshour programme that the offensive "knows the targets it is after, and it took a long time to plan and prepare for this".

"It is their (insurgent) bases, their weaponry, their logistics that we are going to deal with in this operation," he added.

Earlier, an army statement named 12 areas of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, which would now be under permanent curfew.

Correspondents say the neighbourhoods listed are considered strongholds of Boko Haram. The whole of Maiduguri was already subject to an overnight curfew.

Witnesses said troops were stopping lorries from entering the city.

The army also said the 65 insurgents had been arrested trying to infiltrate Maiduguri. Those held had been "fleeing from various camps now under attack".

However, there has been no independent confirmation of the arrests.

The army said 10 suspected insurgents were killed in clashes with troops in Maiduguri on Friday and weapons were seized including rocket-propelled grenade launchers.


Anti-aircraft fire


Nigerian war planes and helicopter gunships also attacked several militant training camps in the north-east on Friday, officials said.

One plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire but officials said it had returned to base safely while the "terrorist base" was "completely destroyed".

US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the Nigerian army to show restraint and not violate human rights as it pursues the militants.

Mr Kerry said there were "credible allegations" of "gross human rights violations" by the Nigerian military.

Last November, Amnesty International accused Nigeria's security forces of carrying out widespread abuses in their campaign against Boko Haram, including extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

The BBC has also received reports of civilians fleeing remote areas in Borno State and arriving in towns on the border with Cameroon.

Cameroon shares hundreds of miles of border with Nigeria and the area adjacent to Borno is considered porous.

Although Cameroon's security forces have stepped up security in the region, a source told French radio that the government in Yaounde had been given no advance warning of the Nigerian campaign.


BBC News - Nigeria army's offensive to continue "as long as it takes"

 

[SajeevJino]

Nigerian military in heavy fighting with Islamist militants​

Nigeria's military says at least 14 Islamic extremists and three soldiers have been killed in the country's northeast. The latest clashes are part of a government offensive against Boko Haram.

Nigeria's defense ministry said in a statement that special forces troops were continuing "the advance and attack on identified terrorist camps."

The offensive has included air strikes on Boko Haram strongholds in remote parts of northeastern Borno state and has spread to the state capital Maiduguri, the insurgents' traditional home base.

The army operation against Boko Haram, the group that wants an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, aims to retake territory seized by the militants and rid the country of "terrorist activities," the military said.

A military spokesman, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, said that one soldier was also missing after fighting over the last two days.

"Forces have been engaging a large number of heavily armed terrorists" he said. He also said that about 20 people had been arrested.

Olukolade said the extremists were in "disarray" and fleeing to Nigeria's borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger. He did not reveal exactly where the latest fighting occurred. There was no independent confirmation of the military's claims.

The military has imposed a round-the-clock curfew in the northeastern town, and has blocked supply routes out of Maiduguri to remote towns where insurgents have seized power.


Nigerian military in heavy fighting with Islamist militants | News | DW.DE | 19.05.2013

 

[SajeevJino]

More than 80 killed in Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria​

Boko Haram militants with heavy weapons killed at least 87 people in an attack in northeast Nigeria this week, in one of the deadliest raids by the Islamist militants since their violent campaign started in 2009

Nigerian security forces mounted a large counterinsurgency campaign in April, forcing the rebels out of urban centres and destroying several camps. But this week's attack came amid a resurgence in violence that shows that Boko Haram is far from being defeated.

Details of the attack emerged when local government officials gained access to the area on Thursday. The militants used heavy weapons in their assault on the town of Benisheik. Local witnesses said militants disguised in army uniforms erected roadblocks in the Benisheik area, around 45 miles west of the Borno state capital Maiduguri, and shot anyone who tried to flee.

Motorists from outside the state were allowed to pass, but not locals. Scores of homes and other buildings were burnt down. "Eighty-seven bodies were recovered in the bush and our people are still searching for more," Saidu Yakubu, of the environmental protection agency in Borno, told reporters on Thursday.

Associated Press quoted another official who said the death toll was 143.

A security source quoted by AFP said the rebels arrived in Benisheik in 20 pickup trucks and were armed with anti-aircraft guns. Soldiers who reacted to the assault ran out of ammunition. According to one account, the rebels had followed the retreating soldiers into the town after an earlier battle.


More than 80 killed in Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria - FT.com

 

[drkrn]

with 12 chengdu f-7 left,and not even a dozen hind helicopters,i admire their commitment to fight the terrorists and defend their sovereignity

 

[SajeevJino]

Published on September 18, 2013 7:40PM French Time

Nigerian army claims 150 Islamists killed in raid on Boko Haram camp ​

A military strike on a Boko Haram camp in Nigeria's restive northeast last week killed 150 Islamists and 16 soldiers, an army official said today.

The army's claim of a major offensive against the Islamist insurgents on September 12 came after local media reported that Boko Haram had ambushed a group of soldiers in the same area, killing 40 and leaving dozens of others missing.

Military officials were not available to comment on the reported Boko Haram ambush, speaking only about the purported military strike.

Details of last week's military operation had not been previously made public.

"It was a highly fortified insurgent camp with heavy weapons in (northeastern) Borno State," army official Ibrahim Attahiru said, adding that the camp was in the Kasiya forest.

"The army raided the camp on September 12. Some 150 Boko Haram terrorists were killed, while the military lost 16 soldiers. Nine soldiers are still missing," he said.

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

 

[SajeevJino]

Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:41pm IST

Nigeria says kills 74 Islamists in ground, air assault​

Nigerian troops killed 74 members of Boko Haram in an air and ground assault, the military said on Friday, a further sign of stepped up operations against the Islamist sect.

The offensive on Thursday targeted Boko Haram camps in the remote villages of Galangi and Lawanti in northeast Borno state where the militants have their strongest presence.

"The operation, which involved ground and aerial assault supported by the Nigerian Air Force led to the destruction of the identified terrorist camps, killing 74 terrorists while others fled with serious injuries," Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Dole said in a statement.

Dole said two soldiers were wounded. The Nigerian military has in the past played down its own losses and those of civilians, security experts say.

The army said it had killed 37 Islamists in a similar strike last week in another remote area of Borno.

Nigerian forces have intensified attacks against Boko Haram since May, when President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three states in the northeast.

UPDATE 1-Nigeria says kills 74 Islamists in ground, air assault | Reuters