Thirty-five bodies in military uniform have been brought
to a morgue in Nigeria’s restive northeast after a coordinated assault
by Boko Haram targeting the security forces, a hospital source said
Monday.
The attack late Thursday in the Yobe state capital
of Damaturu was the first raid in a major urban centre in several weeks
by the insurgent group waging a four-year Islamist uprising.
Police and residents said large numbers of Boko
Haram fighters, some in vehicles and some on foot, stormed Damaturu
after dark.
Armed with guns and explosives, they attacked and
torched four police buildings, sparking a fierce, hours-long gun battle
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
senior official at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital, who requested
anonymity.
An army officer based in the central city of Jos
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 be
withheld.
The military rarely discusses troop fatalities
following Islamist attacks and local officials who disclose such details
have faced pressure to keep quiet.
Sweeping offensive
Contacted Monday, Yobe state military spokesman
Lazarus Eli did not deny reports that dozens of soldiers were killed
during the clash.
“We do not have any data on the death toll,” Lazarus said.
Boko Haram has repeatedly worn military uniforms
as a disguise during attacks and it was not yet clear if the corpses
were those of insurgents or troops.
The day after the attack, witnesses and local officials did not say the insurgents 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 insurgents in a heavily fortified city, has cast further doubt
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.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of
emergency across the northeast in mid-May and vowed to permanently end
the uprising. Jonathan must decide whether to extend the emergency
measures when the six-month mandate expires next month.
The conflict has killed thousands since 2009.
Boko Haram has attacked Christians, Muslims,
students, politicians and a range of other groups seen as opposed to the
creation of a state governed by strict Islamic law.
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIW
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIW
