Nigeria To Destroy Boko Haram Camps In Six Weeks After Rebels Strike Neighbors
Geann Pineda | | Feb 10, 2015 01:47 AM EST |
(Photo : Joe Penney/Reuters) Boko Haram militants continue to grow in number as they recruit more members from villages they have seized.
Six weeks --- that is the deadline set by the Nigerian government to "take out" all Boko Haram camps. The announcement comes as the Nigerian rebel group intensified its insurgency and spread its terror attacks into neighboring countries on Monday.
The militant group set off a car bomb in Niger and kidnapped about 20 people in Cameroon. The new wave of attacks came as countries in the region such as Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad committed to form an African union and deployed thousands of troops to bring the group down.
Like Us on Facebook
Jennifer Cooke, an analyist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said a multinational response is brewing. The upcoming movement is bound to create a more vibrant response too the insurgencies across the region, she added.
But Boko Haram vowed to attack countries uniting against them. The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, posted a video on YouTube, calling government soldiers "infidels" and referring to themselves as victorious soldiers of God.
The car bombing in Niger took place in the town of Diffa. Casualties were taken to a hospital, and no other details were immediately available.
In northern Cameroon, the rebels seized a bus with about 20 passengers on board.
Kolofata, another Cameroonian town, was also attacked by the group who looted food and livestock.
Last week, Nigeria announced the postponement of the February 14 presidential elections to March 28, citing increased attacks by Boko Haram. The election council had said no troops will be available to protect the voters, as most are deployed to combat the militants.
However, Nigeria's National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki said the government is bent on destroying the rebels' camps before March 28th, and that the poll date will not be pushed back further.
"All known Boko Haram camps will be taken out. They won't be there. They will be dismantled," Dasuki said.
The militant group had been operating in three states in north east Nigeria in the past six years, in a bid to create a hardline Islamic state.
The United States estimates the group as having 4,000 to 6,000 hardcore fighters.
TagsBoko Haram, Nigeria, Rebels, terror attack
©2015 Chinatopix All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission
EDITOR'S PICKS
-
Did the Trump administration just announce plans for a trade war with ‘hostile’ China and Russia?
-
US Senate passes Taiwan travel bill slammed by China
-
As Yan Sihong’s family grieves, here are other Chinese students who went missing abroad. Some have never been found
-
Beijing blasts Western critics who ‘smear China’ with the term sharp power
-
China Envoy Seeks to Defuse Tensions With U.S. as a Trade War Brews
-
Singapore's Deputy PM Provides Bitcoin Vote of Confidence Amid China's Blanket Bans
-
China warns investors over risks in overseas virtual currency trading
-
Chinese government most trustworthy: survey
-
Kashima Antlers On Course For Back-To-Back Titles
MOST POPULAR
LATEST NEWS
Zhou Yongkang: China's Former Security Chief Sentenced to Life in Prison
China's former Chief of the Ministry of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, has been given a life sentence after he was found guilty of abusing his office, bribery and deliberately ... Full Article
TRENDING STORY
-
China Pork Prices Expected to Stabilize As The Supplies Recover
-
Elephone P9000 Smartphone is now on Sale on Amazon India
-
There's a Big Chance Cliffhangers Won't Still Be Resolved When Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Returns
-
Supreme Court Ruled on Samsung vs Apple Dispute for Patent Infringement
-
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Rumors and Release Date: What is the Latest?