Suspected
Boko Haram militants dressed in military uniforms set up checkpoints in
an attack in Nigeria’s northeast, killing an unclear number of people
and burning dozens of buildings, residents and authorities claimed on
September 18, 2013, Wednesday.
The
attack reportedly occurred in the evening of September 17, 2013,
Tuesday, when saw suspected members of the Islamist sect invaded the
area, and assaulted residents and motorists in the Benishiek community
of Borno state.
According
to Borno state government official, Garba Ngamdu, at least five local
residents were killed in addition to an unclear number of motorists
travelling through the area, while about 50 buildings – housing shops
and homes – were burnt.
“A
large chunk of the victims were motorists travelling on the highway,
although we do not have a tentative figure yet,” the official stated.
An
army spokesman confirmed the attack and said a number of residents and
tanker drivers had been killed, but declined to provide further details.
Residents recounted seeing bodies along the roadside and said the attackers were singling out those from Borno state.
One
of the main reasons for the attack is Boko Haram revenge on residents
over the emergence of vigilante groups that have formed to assist the
military.
“The
militants arrived in military vans and uniforms around 6.00 p.m. (17.00
GMT),” Mallam Isa Manu, a motorist who escaped unhurt, told the newsmen
in the Borno state capital Maiduguri.
“They set up checkpoints on the Damaturu-Maiduguri highway and ordered motorists to park and identify themselves.”
It would be recalled that Benishiek was also the scene of clashes on September 8, 2013, between suspected Boko Haram gunmen and vigilantes. Five Islamists and 13 vigilantes were reported to have been killed.
In
another statement on Wednesday, the military claimed a strike on a Boko
Haram camp in the northeast last week left about 150 Islamists and 16
soldiers dead, amid reports of dozens of troops killed.
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