Nigerian troops repel Boko Haram’s assault in Maiduguri

Africa, News February 2, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Nigeria’s military has managed to repel an assault by Boko Haram terrorists on the strategic northeastern city of Maiduguri.

The militants’ attack triggered hours of clashes with pro-government forces on Sunday in Boko Haram’s second attempt to capture Maiduguri in one week.

Separately, at least seven people have been killed in a bomb blast that hit a political meeting in the northeast city of Potiskum while two other explosions left five people dead in the city of Gombe.

Boko Haram terrorists stormed Maiduguri on Sunday in a bid to take control of the strategically crucial Borno state capital. The militants engaged in a fierce battle with government troops for several hours.

The militants tried to capture the city on January 25 in an assault which was thwarted by the Nigerian army. However, they managed to seize the town of Monguno, located 125 kilometers (80 miles) outside the city, and took control of a military base.

Tensions are similarly high near the border with neighboring Chad.

On Sunday, Chadian helicopters bombarded Boko Haram’s positions in the Nigerian border town of Gamboru for a second straight day.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” controls large parts of northeastern Nigeria and says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its operations in 2009, which have left over 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced.

Boko Haram has also conducted military operations in Nigeria’s neighboring countries, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

SF/KA/SS