In Nigeria's Baga, another Boko Haram raid
Iran Press TV
Thu Jan 8, 2015 3:12PM
Boko Haram Takfiri militants have carried out another deadly attack in Nigeria's strife-torn northeastern state of Borno.
Hundreds of militants attacked the town of Baga, which is located close to Nigeria's border with Chad, on Wednesday.
Official sources say the militants burned down almost the entire town.
Witnesses and local residents say bodies lay strewn on the volatile town's streets and its surrounding areas. Security officials have expressed concern about a possibly significant number of fatalities.
On January 3, the Takfiri militants seized control of a strategically important military base in the same volatile town following hours of heavy fighting with the Nigerian army forces.
The militants took over the base, which was used by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) made up of troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger.
Baga has suffered five major attacks in the last two years. Last November, Boko Haram ambushed fishermen returning from a night fishing expedition. More than 40 people were killed.
Over 3,000 people have been forced from their homes by violence over the recent past. The displaced have mainly fled to Chad.
Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet of Chad says since mid-December, there has been a massive influx of Nigerian refugees in the Lake Chad region bordering Nigeria.
According to the UN data, nearly 650,000 Nigerians have fled their homes due to Boko Haram attacks and are displaced inside the African country.
JR/HSN/SS
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