Boko Haram Islamists claimed five lives in an attack on a mosque in
northeast Nigeria over the weekend, before being repulsed by soldiers
who killed 15 of the insurgents, the military said in a statement
Sunday.
The latest attack by the extremist group, which has been waging an insurgency since 2009, struck on Saturday morning at Damboa town in Borno state, the group’s stronghold.
“The terrorists… attacked worshippers in a mosque and killed five of them who came to perform their morning prayers,” said the military’s statement quoting captain Aliyu Ibrahim Danja, army spokesman for the region.
“They also set ablaze the official residence and palace of the District Head along with some shops.
“While they were unleashing their mayhem, troops under 7 Division engaged the terrorists, killing 15 in the process while others fled in disarray.”
Borno was placed under a state of emergency in mid-May, when the military shut down the mobile phone network to block Islamists from coordinating attacks in an operation aimed at crushing the insurgency.
With the communication network switched off, details of attacks have been slow to emerge and difficult to verify.
The latest attack by the extremist group, which has been waging an insurgency since 2009, struck on Saturday morning at Damboa town in Borno state, the group’s stronghold.
“The terrorists… attacked worshippers in a mosque and killed five of them who came to perform their morning prayers,” said the military’s statement quoting captain Aliyu Ibrahim Danja, army spokesman for the region.
“They also set ablaze the official residence and palace of the District Head along with some shops.
“While they were unleashing their mayhem, troops under 7 Division engaged the terrorists, killing 15 in the process while others fled in disarray.”
Borno was placed under a state of emergency in mid-May, when the military shut down the mobile phone network to block Islamists from coordinating attacks in an operation aimed at crushing the insurgency.
With the communication network switched off, details of attacks have been slow to emerge and difficult to verify.
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