Boko Haram attack family house of Buratai, new army chief, kills 2

MAIDUGURI, (Reuters) – Suspected Boko Haram militants burned down houses, including the family home of Nigeria’s new army chief, in a village in the northeast of the country on Tuesday, a policeman, military source and witnesses said.

At least two people were killed and eight injured in Buratai in Borno state, resident Adamu Talba and the military source said, but Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Baratai, was not present at the time of the attack in the early hours.

Boko Haram has waged a deadly campaign to carve out a state adhering to strict Islamic law in Nigeria’s northeast for the past six years. After being pushed out of most of the territory they gained earlier this year, the group scattered and returned to attacking soft targets.

President Muhammadu Buhari has made ending the insurgency his priority and discussed how to tackle it during his first trip to Washington to meet President Barack Obama.