Reuters
Security sources told Reuters today, Saturday, that government forces, along with several hundred residents, were forced to flee after Islamist militants took control of a town in northeastern Nigeria.
The attack on the town of Marti, located on Lake Chad, in the state of Borno, came two months after the residents returned to their homes, according to a government program, after their previous displacement.
The attack reflects the unstable security situation in north-eastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram and “ISIS” are operating in West Africa, and shows the difficulties faced by government forces in their attempt to return thousands of displaced people to their homes.
Soldiers fled during the attack on Friday, and Marty was still under the militants’ control on Saturday.
A number of people injured in the attack could not be treated and it was not clear if there were any deaths.
Informed sources said that they believe that the militants belong to “ISIS” in West Africa.
An army statement said the forces had carried out a “tactical withdrawal” to counter the militant attack outside Marti. The statement continued that the forces “virtually destroyed” seven trucks with cannons and “wiped out” an unspecified number of attackers.
And army and police sources indicated that most of the residents fled to the nearby Dikwa area and to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
Source: Reuters
Source link