Boko Haram crisis: Militants attack key city of Maiduguri

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Fighters from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram have launched an attack on the key city of Maiduguri in north-eastern Nigeria, reports say.

Fierce fighting is said to be taking place on the outskirts of the city as militants attempt to enter it.

The military is carrying out air strikes, and a curfew has been imposed.

Maiduguri is home to tens of thousands of people who have fled from Boko Haram attacks elsewhere, and was recently visited by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30972534

---

Other reports:
AFP: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/nigerian-troops-fighting-boko-haram-maiduguri-military-085654276.html#4rfN8Gg
Reuters: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/01/25/uk-nigeria-violence-maiduguri-idUKKBN0KY08B20150125

[bemildred]

1. They seem emboldened.

On the merits, I think attacking cities is stupid, but as we saw in Mosul, it can work if the defense is sufficiently imaginary. So I guess we will see how substantial the Nigerian military is. Do the jihadis make progress, or do they get blown away trying.

[undeterred]

2. Boko Haram Attacks Major Nigerian City in a Sustained Assault

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Maiduguri, the major city in Nigeria’s northeast, came under sustained attack from Boko Haram terrorists on Sunday morning, with officials here calling it the group’s most audacious assault on the city to date.

This city of over two million people was attacked beginning late Saturday night from at least two directions by the militants from the Islamist insurgency, which effectively controls the territory surrounding the city. Loud explosions were heard in the center of the city, and small-arms fire and artillery in its suburbs. “Certainly this is the most serious attack yet,” said Kashim Shettima, the governor of Borno State, of which Maiduguri is the capital. “We faced a really existential threat.”

By late Sunday morning, the attack appeared to have been repulsed by the Nigerian military. Officials said bombs dropped on insurgent positions had turned the tide of the battle here, but there were reports that a major military installation in a town to the north, Monguno, had fallen to the insurgents, with over 1,000 soldiers fleeing to the bush in the face of the attack.

Initial reports suggested that civilian and military casualties were substantial. Witnesses reported seeing hundreds of residents fleeing the suburbs and rushing toward the city’s center. They also reported seeing some Nigerian troops moving away from the fighting, as in numerous previous engagements with the Islamists. “There’s a lot of gunshots and explosions,” said a top official at the city’s leading hospital who lives in the suburbs and asked not to be identified. “These boys are trying to come into town.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/world/africa/boko-haram-attacks-major-nigerian-city-in-a-sustained-assault.html

This is a nightmare that never ends.

[Rhinodawg]

3. I generally don't comment on boko harem...

But these are very dysfunctional people.

Of course , as I have learned here, it's important I say this has nothing to do with Islam.

[karynnj]

6. No it is not important that you say "it has nothing to do with Islam"

This is the right wing distortion of the point that everyone from Obama, to Kerry to Francois Hollande has made - that violence is not a product of the Islamic religion. That does not mean that there are not violent groups of Islamic people. What they have been doing is getting Islamic religious and political leaders to condemn these violent groups.

It is not really that subtle a difference. It also is clear why they are doing this.

The RW equation makes all adherents of the Islamic faith responsible and suspicious. That makes it harder for the countries in the area to lead their people to reject the violent groups and harder for the Jihadis to convince people that they need to stand with them because it is their religion being attacked.

I KNOW it is easy to look at these scary groups, note they are all Islamic (at least in name) and then see the problem as Islam. However, doing that helps the jihadis by actually having people be anti-Islam.

[Rhinodawg]

7. No one supports anti-muslim bigotry....

but a lot of people have a problem with islam and all that entails with its treatment of women, gays, terrorism and ex-muslims.










almost 9 out of 10 Egyptians support KILLING any muslim who leaves their faith !!

Where are those moderate muslims?

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Bullshit. There's lots of anti-Muslim bigots out there...

Topping the list are the likes of Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. Then there's those folk who obsess incessantly about Muslims and how they're apparently destroying Europe. Some of them use the word 'Islam' instead of 'Muslim' to try to make out that they just have a problem with religion and to try to make what they're saying not bigoted. You can spot them easily as they'll go on about anti-Muslim hate sites like religionofpeace.com not being a hate site because according to them it tells the truth about Muslims. Not to mention the ones who obsessively try to make out that a moderate Muslim is a rarity and inform others that they're merely trying to educate others about Evil Muslims Islam. And then they'll insist there's no such thing as anti-Muslim bigotry.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre disagrees with you, btw. They're a very reputable organisation that tracks extremist and hate groups in the US. Here's what they've got to say about anti-Muslim bigotry:

Anti-Muslim hate groups are a relatively new phenomenon in the United States, most of them appearing in the aftermath of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Earlier anti-Muslim groups tended to be religious in orientation and disputed Islam’s status as a respectable religion.

All anti-Muslim hate groups exhibit extreme hostility toward Muslims. The organizations portray those who worship Islam as fundamentally alien and attribute to its followers an inherent set of negative traits. Muslims are depicted as irrational, intolerant and violent, and their faith is frequently depicted as sanctioning pedophilia, marital rape and child marriage.

These groups also typically hold conspiratorial views regarding the inherent danger to America posed by its Muslim-American community. Muslims are depicted as a fifth column intent on undermining and eventually replacing American democracy and Western civilization with Islamic despotism. Anti-Muslim hate groups allege that Muslims are trying to subvert the rule of law by imposing on Americans their own Islamic legal system, Shariah law.

Anti-Muslim hate groups also broadly defame Islam, which they tend to treat as a monolithic and evil religion. These groups generally hold that Islam has no values in common with other cultures, is inferior to the West and is a violent political ideology rather than a religion.

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/ideology/anti-muslim

[quadrature]

4. endless war, the emerging 'new normal' ...nt

[Bosonic]

5. UPDATE: Nigerian soldiers repel Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri as Monguno falls to insurgents

UPDATE: Nigerian soldiers repel Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri as Monguno falls to insurgents

The attack by suspected members of the Boko Haram on Maiduguri has been foiled by soldiers, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. However, the neighbouring town of Monguno appears to have been taken over by the insurgents who are also said to have taken over the military barracks there, a senior soldier in the state capital told PREMIUM TIMES.

As if attacking from various fronts, soldiers were also battling the rampaging insurgents in Konduga, a town 35km from Maiduguri. The military is expected to release details of the attacks after the battles are completed.

Our source said scores of people including soldiers and insurgents have been killed on the outskirts of Maiduguri since the current battles started late Saturday night.

Confirming the fall of Monguno to the insurgents, our source said “we have decimated the idiots (from Maiduguri) but Monguno has fallen”.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/175566-update-nigerian-soldiers-repel-boko-haram-attack-maiduguri-monguno-falls-insurgents.html

[Eugene]

8. Hundreds dead as Boko Haram clashes with Nigerian army in Maiduguri

Source: Associated Press

Hundreds dead as Boko Haram clashes with Nigerian army in Maiduguri

Associated Press
theguardian.com, Monday 26 January 2015 00.57 GMT

More than 200 combatants have been killed after Nigerian troops clashed with Islamic extremists who attacked the north-eastern city of Maiduguri on Sunday.

As the battle raged, suspected Boko Haram insurgents continued scorched-earth attacks on villages some 200km (125 miles) to the south in Adamawa state.

Survivors reported that the rebels rampaged through villages slitting throats of residents, looting and burning homes and abducting dozens of trapped women and children.

Adamawa state legislator Adamu Kamale appealed for troops to protect civilians in Michika, where six villages were under attack. “The attacks have continued since Friday with no presence of security operatives,” he said.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/26/hundreds-dead-as-boko-haram-clashes-with-nigerian-army-in-maiduguri

[Blue_Tires]

10. ttt