Boko Haram slaughters civilians in weekend attack
Boko Haram gunmen massacred residents who tried to jump into Lake Chad seeking safety and burnt others alive after overpowering soldiers in a weekend attack in the restive region, a witness said Monday.
The military and a local official in Niger had previously confirmed the April 25 raid by the Islamists on Lake Chad’s Karamga island.
An official in the town of Diffa said the Nigerien army suffered “very heavy” casualties, but precise figures were not immediately available.
Umar Yerima, a Nigerian fisherman living on the targeted island confirmed that troops “were caught off guard” and suffered major losses.
“After finishing with the soldiers, (the Islamists) turned their guns on residents,” Yerima told AFP by phone, adding that he was “among the lucky ones” who managed to flee.
“Some sought to escape by plunging into the lake but gunmen stood on the shore shooting them…
“They would aim their gun from the edge of the lake and shoot any head that emerged from the water, shouting Allahu Akbar,” he further said. “They burnt the entire village and went on a shooting spree. Many residents were burnt alive in their homes.”
Yerima said he managed to stay out of site by hiding in the long grass that lines the water’s edge.
After launching the attack shortly before sunrise, the gunmen remained on a rampage until roughly midday, withdrawing when a military jet began bombarding the area.
It was impossible to estimate the death toll, Yerima told AFP, but said he believed the number was “huge” and that he saw the Islamists kidnap a number of women and children as they fled.
Boko Haram has been hit hard by a four-nation offensive launched in February by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, with much of the fighting concentrated in the Lake Chad area.
While the militaries involved have claimed major successes, including the recapture of a series of towns and villages held by the Islamist rebels, experts believe Boko Haram fighters have carved out new hiding spots in remote enclaves.
The Nigerien military said the Islamists stormed Karamga on motorised canoes after setting off from a base elsewhere on the lake.
The Boko Haram conflict has killed more than 13,000 people since 2009, mostly in northern Nigeria, but the fighting has increasingly spread to neighbouring states since 2013.
Despite the apparent gains made the multi-national offensive, security experts say Boko Haram has the capacity to regroup and have urged the region’s forces to maintain military pressure.
Nigeria’s president-elect Muhammadu Buhari takes office on May 29 and has vowed to fight Boko Haram more effectively than the country’s outgoing leader, Goodluck Jonathan.
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7 Comments
HABA, Boko Haram again! Wont they ever give up. What actually do they want?
they’re muslim, all muslims want the same: world domination and to rape and murder everyone
You should read “it’s all about Muhammed” by F. W. Burleigh , available on Amazon. Its a biography of Muhammeds life, using the Islamic books as sources. ( Quran, several Hadiths including Bukari and Muslim as well as Sirat Rasul Allah by Ibn Isqh )Read this book and remember, Muslims believe that Muhammed was a perfect example of what a pious Muslim should be, they seek to copy his exapmple in every way possible. Muhammed said ” o People, I exist for you as a reward….”
The Quran is difficult to read and understand because it is NOT arranged chronologically but from the longest Chapter to the shortest. It is also full of repetition. There is a website called prophetofdoom.net that blends the chapters/verses of the Quran with the events that were happening in Muhammeds life when a particular chapter/ verse was “revealed” . It makes understanding the Quran, Muhammed and Islam easier. This website was written by a Christian.
Read and educate yourself anout Islam. Decide for yourself. Is what what the goverment, politicians and various medias tell you about Islam being a Religion of Peace ( another site Religionofpeace.com) true? Decide for yourself if The ISIS terrorists are ” not Following islam” or if they really are doing whatvthe Quran tells them and following Muhammeds example.being afraid of Islam and what you can see for yourself its doing doesnt make you a racist ( what race is a religion?) or an Islamaphobe. ( phobias are irrational fears not based in reality).
He has no need- he knows well enough what the religion of peace is and what it wants.
These are the worldly elements that deserve death either by bombs, bullets or blades….KILL every last one of those swine.
ISLAMIC TERRORISTS are the scourge of humanity, killing is all they understand, strength is all they respect. Negotiations are for the weak.
sooner or later islam will need to be wiped from the planet like the disease that it is…..i say the sooner the better
When will the west starting offing these #daeshbags en mass? If ever there were a reason to fight terror these brutes need to feel the wrath of decent people from around the globe.
We will review and take appropriate action.