[An Nahar] Clashes between Nigeria's military and Islamist bad boy group Boko Haram... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
in two northeastern towns have left at least 35 people dead, most of them krazed killers, the army said Monday.
The festivities broke out after attacks on soldiers and a cop shoppe, according to the military, and occurred as security forces wage an offensive in the region aimed at ending a four-year Islamist insurgency.
A clash in the town of Bama sparked by an attack on a police base "led to the death of one policeman and 17 Boko Haram terrorists," a military statement said.
Fighting in the town of Malam Fatori after an attack on troops "led to the death of two soldiers and 15 Boko Haram terrorists," it said. Both festivities occurred on Sunday.
According to the military, the snuffies were armed with "sophisticated weapons" and explosives during the attacks. Both Bama and Malam Fatori are located in Nigeria's Borno state, Boko Haram's home base.
The statement said soldiers had recovered weapons including 10 AK-47 rifles, bombs and three RPG tubes, among others, after the clash in Bama.
"The situations in both places have returned to normal," the statement said.
Borno, badly hit by krazed killer attacks as well as heavy-handed military raids, is one of three states currently under a state of emergency while security forces pursue the offensive.