Boko Haram militants seize army base in northeast Nigeria
Iran Press TV
Sun Jan 4, 2015 4:48PM
Takfiri Boko Haram militants have overrun a town in Nigeria's strife-torn northeastern state of Borno, seizing a military base following hours of heavy fighting with army forces.
Witnesses said on Sunday that Boko Haram terrorists attacked Baga, which is located close to Nigeria's border with Chad, on Saturday and took over the military base used by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which is made up of troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger.
Hundreds of fear-stricken residents from Baga fled across Lake Chad in fishing boats and canoes into neighboring Chad during the attack.
"They (the militants) overwhelmed the troops and forced them to abandon the base, which the gunmen took over," local resident Usman Danssubdu said after fleeing to Chad.
The MNJTF was established in 1998 to combat cross-border crime. However, the force's mandate was later expanded to fighting Boko Haram when the Takfiri terrorist group began its militancy in 2009.
Boko Haram terrorists had long seen the existence of the MNJTF as a major threat to their operations, and, therefore, continued to attack Baga with a view to gaining the full control of the area and the base.
Baga has suffered five major attacks in the last two years. Last November, Boko Haram terrorists ambushed fishermen returning from a night fishing expedition, killing 43 of them.
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.
MP/HJL/SS
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