At least 20 insurgents were killed Friday as Nigeria’s military
carried out an aerial bombardment of suspected militant Islamist camps
in the country’s northeast, a Defence Ministry spokesman told the CNN.
The
raid by Nigerian Air Force jets and attack helicopters is part of what
the military says is a “massive deployment” of Nigerian forces this week
to tackle insurgent groups, including Boko Haram.
“Our military
has overrun a number of the militants’ camps in north and central Borno
state,” said defence spokesman Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade.“Within
those insurgents’ camps, we discovered that they have been storing
sophisticated, high-calibre weapons including anti-tank and
anti-aircraft weapons.”
Members of the armed forces have suffered only minor injuries, according to Olukolade.
“The operation continues, we are injecting even more troops and resources into those areas,” he added.
The
military operation was announced Wednesday, a day after President
Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa states.
The president blamed “terrorists” aimed at
“rebellion” who have caused “fear among our citizens and a near
breakdown of law and order in parts of the country.”
He also noted
a rise of insurgent violence in eight other states, including Nasarawa,
where scores of police officers were killed last week.
“Insurgents and terrorists,” including Boko Haram, are trying to destabilise Nigeria, Jonathan said.
“The
military operation will focus on tracking down criminal elements within
the vicinity of border communities prone to terrorist activities,”
Olukolade said Wednesday. He did not confirm the number of troops
deployed or which units are involved in the military operation.
Much violence over recent years has been blamed on Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege.”
According
to Human Rights Watch, the group has killed more than 2,800 people in
an escalating campaign to impose strict Islamic law on largely Muslim
northern Nigeria.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with a
population of nearly 175 million according to the CIA World Factbook,
and is the political and economic powerhouse of West Africa.
