Boko Haram militants take over town in northeast Nigeria
Iran Press TV
Tue Nov 25, 2014 12:49PM GMT
Boko Haram Takfiri militants have taken over another town in Nigeria's northeast as they further establish their grip in the troubled and violence-plagued region.
Security sources and local authorities said the terrorists concealed their weapons in containers that they brought to the market of the town of Damasak in Borno state on Monday morning.
The heavily armed militants pretended to be traders but later sprayed bullets through the market.
An unknown number of people were killed, while others fled across the frontier to seek sanctuary in neighboring Niger.
The Boko Haram gunmen also razed numerous buildings, including the marketplace, the local government secretariat and homes of local authorities, according to witnesses.
'There is not a single male in Damasak. Boko Haram is in control because all males and soldiers have fled. No one expects women to fight them,' Maina Ma'aji Lawan, who represents northern Borno state in Nigeria's Senate, said.
On Thursday, scores of Boko Haram militants blocked a route linking Nigeria with Chad near the fishing village of Doron Baga, and killed a group of 48 fish traders who were on their way to Chad.
Boko Haram militants have already seized more than two dozen towns in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, raising fears about a potential loss of government control in the region.
Last week, the Takfiri terrorists killed about 100 people in separate attacks in Mafa and Kukawa areas of Borno.
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," 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 more than 10,000 people dead so far.
MP/HMV/HRB
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