Boko Haram kills at least 60 in overnight attack on Nigerian village

According to local officials, Boko Haram has killed more than 60 people in an overnight attack in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria.

Militants attacked the village of Darul Jamal, home to a military base on the Nigeria-Cameroon border, killing at least five soldiers on Friday night.

Following reports of the raid, the Nigerian Air Force says it killed 30 militants in airstrikes in the village, where residents had recently returned after years of displacement.

The attack comes amid a surge in jihadist activity in north-eastern Nigeria, with Boko Haram and its rival, the Islamic State’s West African branch, escalating attacks.

Over 20 houses and 10 buses were destroyed in Darul Jamal, while at least 13 drivers and labourers, who had been working on reconstruction efforts in the town, lost their lives, according to a report by Reuters.

Borno Governor Babagana Zulum, who visited the village on Saturday, stated: “It’s deeply saddening; this community was resettled a few months ago, and its residents had resumed their normal activities,” as reported by AFP news agency.

“The numerical strength of the Nigerian army is insufficient to contain the situation,” he noted, adding that the newly established Forest Guards force would augment security personnel in the embattled region.

Nigerian Air Force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame disclosed that surveillance revealed militants “fleeing northwards from the town towards nearby bushes” on Friday night.

“In a series of three precise and successive strikes, the fleeing terrorists were decisively engaged, resulting in the neutralisation of over 30 insurgents,” he said.

The military has intensified operations in north-eastern Nigeria this year, following persistent targeted attacks on its formations and installations.

In April, Governor Zulum warned that Boko Haram was making a comeback after its fighters staged a series of attacks and seized control of some parts of the state.

Borno has been at the centre of a 15-year insurgency by the militant group, which has forced more than two million people to flee their homes and killed more than 40,000.

At the height of its powers in 2015, Boko Haram controlled huge areas in Borno state before being beaten back.

The fight against the militants became even more challenging after neighbouring Niger withdrew its troops from a regional force set up to tackle the jihadist group.

Boko Haram gained international notoriety in April 2014 when it kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, also in Borno state.

Source: BBC