Nigerian troops kill scores of Boko Haram fighters

Nigeria’s army said Friday it had killed 74 suspected Boko Haram fighters in a raid in northeastern Borno state, as gunmen from the Islamist group battled security forces in neighbouring Yobe state.

The army said it deployed bombs and ground troops to destroy insurgent camps in Borno on Thursday.

Army spokesman Mohammed Dole said that “74 suspected militants” were killed in the assault outside the Borno capital Maiduguri, where Boko Haram was founded more than a decade ago.

The operation followed an assault Monday on Boko Haram camps in another part of Borno, which the military said left 37 Islamists dead.

The officer said there were casualties from the attack, but did not give specifics.

The Yobe attack, despite repeated crackdown by the military shows that the military operations since May when a state of emergency was imposed on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have not successfully weakened Boko Haram’s power to launch attacks.

Damaturu is the capital of Yobe state, also hard hit by Boko Haram attacks.

“They invaded the city in large numbers in vehicles and on foot from different directions,” the officer said.

They then opened fire “on police facilities with guns and explosives and engaged soldiers and policemen in a fierce gunfire exchange that continued deep into the night,” he added.

The officer said the insurgents torched the area police command and at least three other police facilities.

“There are indeed casualties, including a number of the insurgents, but it is difficult to say how many they are”, he said.

A resident, Haruna Sadi, said the attacks started around 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) and continued late into the night, forcing residents to stay indoors.

“We didn’t sleep last night due to fright and the deafening gun sounds and explosions coming from all over the city,” Sadi said.

“Everybody is still indoors because of a radio announcement of a 24-hour curfew by the military,” he added.

Boko Haram, thought to be a fragmented group, with a murky leadership structure, has attacked churches, mosques, the security forces and schools across northern and central Nigeria.

Members of the sect have killed hundreds of people across the northeast since late June, including scores of students.

Last month, President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the country’s top military leaders to redouble their efforts following a spate of brutal attacks on civilians.