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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Boko Haram: 35 bodies 'in army uniform' at morgue |
| 2013-10-31 |
| [Osun Defender] The tragedy of the invasion of Damaturu came to the fore yesterday. It emerged that no fewer than 35 bodies in military uniform were deposited at the morgue. Twenty soldiers are hospitalised in Jos, the Plateau State capital, it was also gathered. Many bully boyz were killed by the troops. Thursday's attack in Damaturu was the first raid in a major urban centre in several weeks by the bully boy group waging a four-year Islamist uprising. Police and residents said large numbers of 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... fighters, some in vehicles and others on foot, stormed Damaturu after dark. Armed with guns and explosives, they attacked and torched four police buildings, sparking a fierce, hours-long shootout with the security forces. "We have received lots of bodies in the last three days from the attacks. I counted 35 bodies in military uniform," said a bigwig at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital, who requested for anonymity. An army officer based in Jos, the Plateau State capital, said 20 soldiers had been admitted at a hospital there, suffering from "gunshot wounds sustained in the battle against Boko Haram in Damaturu". "They were brought here for security reasons and better medical facilities," said the officer, who also asked his name to be withheld. The military rarely discusses troop fatalities following Islamist attacks Contacted by the AFP, Yobe State military front man Capt. Lazarus Eli did not deny reports that dozens of soldiers were killed during the clash. "We do not have any data on the corpse count," Capt. Lazarus said. Boko Haram has repeatedly worn military uniforms as a disguise during attacks and it was not yet clear if the bodies were those of bully boyz or troops. The day after the attack, witnesses and local officials did not say the bully boyz who staged it were disguised in uniforms. Nigeria's sweeping offensive against Boko Haram has entered its fifth month and the military has described the group as being in disarray and no longer capable of attacking major population centres. But the success of the operation remains unclear and the attack in Damaturu, apparently carried out by a significant number of bully boyz in a heavily fortified city, has cast further doubt on the effectiveness of the military offensive. There are, however, signs that Boko Haram has been pushed back into the Northeast, its historic stronghold, after carrying out attacks across the wider North through much of 2011 and 2012. Meanwhile, ...back at the dirigible, Jack stuck the cigar in his mouth, stepped onto the gantry, and asked Got a light, Mac? Von Schtinken stopped short, lowering the dagger and trying to control his features. If you light that thing, Herr Armschtröng,he pointed out, his voice tense, we all die!... Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam seems to believe that Boko Haram fighters are better equipped than soldiers going by his call for better guns for troops battling the insurgency in his state. Gaidam also cited "poor intelligence" and inadequate support of the military action as part of the reasons why the insurgency thrives. He said if the war must be won, soldiers must be given superior arms and ammunition as well as better intelligence gathering. Damaturu, the capital of Yobe, was the scene of last Thursday's deadly attack by the Boko Haram in which many soldiers and bully boyz died. Gaidam donated N1million to each of the widows of the dead. The governor, inspected the areas destroyed by the bully boys. He was accompanied by the Joint Task Force (JTF) Commandant in the state, Col. Aliyu Abdullahi and Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai. He said: "It appears to me that the security operatives, the police and the army and every other security personnel, were taken unawares. I have been taken round and based on what I have observed, we don't have enough intelligence all over the state to give information. If our security operatives were on 24 hours alert, some of these things would have been averted and these boys would not just come to the town and start shooting. "I have also observed that some of the weapons used by the bully boyz are superior weapons in capacity, which are much higher than the ones obtained by the military or the police in Yobe State. |
| Posted by:Fred |