Boko Haram gunmen strike again, kill 11

Suspected Boko Haram Islamists have stormed Damboa, Borno state, northeast Nigeria, opened fire on police and civilians and killed 11 people, residents and a local lawmaker said Friday.

“The attack lasted until about midnight,” said Adamu Isah a resident of the town, referring to the Thursday attack, adding that “11 people died.”

State lawmaker Ayamu Lawan Gwasha, who represents Damboa, also confirmed the details.

Both Isah and the lawmaker spoke to reporters in Borno’s capital Maiduguri, roughly 85 kilometres (52 miles) from Damboa. Both said they had fled to the capital after the attack.

Details were slow to emerge and the area military spokesman could not be reached for comment because of a phone blackout imposed by the military, an operational measure meant to block the Islamists from coordinating attacks.

The phones have been down in Borno since May, when the state of emergency was declared.

The fresh killings increased the tally of those killed this week by Boko Haram gunmen to 68, in Borno state alone.

The killings have raised doubts about the efficacy of the emergency rule declared in the state, and neighboring states of Yobe and Adamawa, since 14 May this year.

The Nigerian government has insisted it is winning the war against the Boko Haram insurgency and the bloodletting.