The Nigerian army claims to have recaptured Chibok, the town where Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls earlier this year, just two days after it fell to the Islamist militants.
Soldiers and vigilantes flushed out the extremist group late on Saturday and regained control of the symbolically important town in the north-east of the country, officials said.
General Chris Olukolade tweeted: “Our troops have rescued the innocent Chibok from wicked enemies, dismantled the terrorists assault and in pursuit of their fleeing ruins.”
He added: “Terrorists who attacked Chibok town early yesterday have been effectively flushed out. Subsequent mopping up is still ongoing. Troops continue pursuit of fleeing terrorists and arrest of the wounded. Normalcy is restored. Chibok is secured.”
Nigeria’s government and military may have felt pressure to act more swiftly in Chibok than other towns following fierce criticism over their failure to rescue the schoolgirls during months in the global spotlight.
Pogu Bitrus, a leading elder in the town, told Agence France-Presse it was retaken in a joint operation with local vigilantes known as the Civilian Joint Task Force, which supports the military in several parts of the north-east.
The vigilantes fought inside the town while army soldiers “stayed outside the town to mop up the insurgents trying to escape”, he said.
Boko Haram captured the town on Thursday after a battle lasting several hours. Thousands of residents fled when the insurgents entered the town, shooting from pickup trucks and motorcycles. Several inhabitants claimed the army had also fled, leaving the vigilantes to fight on their own.
Chibok is an enclave of mainly Christian families in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. It remains highly unstable, reports said, making many residents reluctant to go back.
Allen Manasseh, whose sister is among the kidnapped teenagers, said: “The situation is still bleak. My family are in Chibok and I don’t know what is happening with them.”
Boko Haram stormed a state secondary school for girls in Chibok on the evening of 14 April, forcing 276 students into trucks and driving them into the bush. The abduction sparked global uproar and a viral campaign with the slogan BringBackOurGirls.
Fifty-seven of the teenagers managed to escape but 219 are still missing. In a video released last month, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls had all converted to Islam and been married off to his fighters.
The insurrection by Boko Haram, which flies the black and white flag of al-Qaida and seeks to create a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has claimed more than 10,000 lives in the past five years. The group has seized more than 20 towns and villages in the north-east in recent months but has suffered defeats in Mubi, Maiha and now Chibok in the past week.
Soldiers and vigilantes flushed out the extremist group late on Saturday and regained control of the symbolically important town in the north-east of the country, officials said.
General Chris Olukolade tweeted: “Our troops have rescued the innocent Chibok from wicked enemies, dismantled the terrorists assault and in pursuit of their fleeing ruins.”
He added: “Terrorists who attacked Chibok town early yesterday have been effectively flushed out. Subsequent mopping up is still ongoing. Troops continue pursuit of fleeing terrorists and arrest of the wounded. Normalcy is restored. Chibok is secured.”
Nigeria’s government and military may have felt pressure to act more swiftly in Chibok than other towns following fierce criticism over their failure to rescue the schoolgirls during months in the global spotlight.
Pogu Bitrus, a leading elder in the town, told Agence France-Presse it was retaken in a joint operation with local vigilantes known as the Civilian Joint Task Force, which supports the military in several parts of the north-east.
The vigilantes fought inside the town while army soldiers “stayed outside the town to mop up the insurgents trying to escape”, he said.
Boko Haram captured the town on Thursday after a battle lasting several hours. Thousands of residents fled when the insurgents entered the town, shooting from pickup trucks and motorcycles. Several inhabitants claimed the army had also fled, leaving the vigilantes to fight on their own.
Chibok is an enclave of mainly Christian families in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. It remains highly unstable, reports said, making many residents reluctant to go back.
Allen Manasseh, whose sister is among the kidnapped teenagers, said: “The situation is still bleak. My family are in Chibok and I don’t know what is happening with them.”
Boko Haram stormed a state secondary school for girls in Chibok on the evening of 14 April, forcing 276 students into trucks and driving them into the bush. The abduction sparked global uproar and a viral campaign with the slogan BringBackOurGirls.
Fifty-seven of the teenagers managed to escape but 219 are still missing. In a video released last month, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls had all converted to Islam and been married off to his fighters.
The insurrection by Boko Haram, which flies the black and white flag of al-Qaida and seeks to create a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has claimed more than 10,000 lives in the past five years. The group has seized more than 20 towns and villages in the north-east in recent months but has suffered defeats in Mubi, Maiha and now Chibok in the past week.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment