Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) – The Nigerian military, backed by local vigilantes, succeeded on Sunday in repelling the second attack in as many weeks on the North-eastern city of Maiduguri by the terror group Boko Haram.
After many hours of heavy exchange of gunfire that started around 3 am local time on Sunday, and the deployment of military planes to battle the insurgents, calm is gradually returning to the city of nearly 2 million.
Though details are sketchy, many insurgents and ordinary civilians were said to have been killed in the fighting, especially as the jets dropped bombs on the suspected hideouts of the attackers on the outskirts of the city.
The military has yet to comment on the latest fighting.
Last Sunday, Boko Haram attacked Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, in a daring move, apparently to capture the city and make it the headquarters of its Islamic Caliphate – the sect’s long-time dream.
But the military successfully repelled the invaders, even though they (invaders) captured the nearby town of Monguno.
The military later said it lost nine soldiers and killed 56 insurgents in the attack, which lasted many hours.
Boko Haram, which launched its violent campaign in 2009, has captured over 130 Nigerian towns and villages. The group has also killed over 13,000 people.
