Army clashes with rebels in Nigeria, 7 killed
12 Nov 2013 4:58 AM IST
Five members of the Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram and two soldiers were killed in gun battles in Kano on Saturday, the army said, the first violence in months linked to insurgents in the largest northern city.
A military task force stormed two buildings suspected of being Boko Haram safe houses in the Hotoro Dan Marke and Brigade areas of the city at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT), where the battles occurred, an army statement said.
‘Intelligence available indicates that the terrorists were in the process of finalising plans to carry out simultaneous suicide attacks in Abuja and Kano,’ it added.
A Boko Haram suicide attack on the United Nations building two years ago in the capital Abuja killed at least 25 people. The sect has killed thousands during its four-year insurgency and has become the biggest security threat in Africa’s top oil producer and second largest economy. President Goodluck Jonathan stepped up a military campaign against the group’s northeastern heartland 6 months ago.
A military task force stormed two buildings suspected of being Boko Haram safe houses in the Hotoro Dan Marke and Brigade areas of the city at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT), where the battles occurred, an army statement said.
‘Intelligence available indicates that the terrorists were in the process of finalising plans to carry out simultaneous suicide attacks in Abuja and Kano,’ it added.
A Boko Haram suicide attack on the United Nations building two years ago in the capital Abuja killed at least 25 people. The sect has killed thousands during its four-year insurgency and has become the biggest security threat in Africa’s top oil producer and second largest economy. President Goodluck Jonathan stepped up a military campaign against the group’s northeastern heartland 6 months ago.
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