Isha Sesay, Vlad Duhier, and Michael Pearson, of CNN, report Boko Haram strikes again, attacks Nigerian village, in a 12-hour assault, during which they blew up, and burnt down the police station. The bodies of 14 dead police officers were found inside the remains of the building.
Militants dressed in military uniforms, backed by armored personnel carriers and shouting "God is great" attacked Gamboru Ngala Monday afternoon, firing rocket-propelled grenades and tossing improvised bombs into a crowded outdoor marketplace, witnesses told CNN Wednesday. ...
The final death toll could be closer to 300, Nigerian Sen. Ahmed Zanna told CNN.
It's unclear what impact the attack could have on the international response to Nigeria's fight with Boko Haram, which so far has been concentrated on helping the government rescue 276 schoolgirls abducted last month by the militant group.
Nigerian authorities have blamed Boko Haram for dozens of attack, and has offered a $310,000 award for information leading to the rescue of the kidnapped school girls. Three northern states have been in a state of emergency since last May
Yesterday, Nigeria formally accepted U.S. and British offers of assistance. The U.S. will set up a "coordination cell" in Nigerian, and Ericlewis0 reported yesterday a U.S. F.B.I. team was en route to Nigeria to help discover the location of he missing girls.
CNN just announced on TV that its sources in the Pentagon reveal the U.S. does not intend to put troops on the ground in Nigeria. This report confirms this here.
The Pentagon has started planning for how it can help Nigeria, a senior U.S. military official told CNN. U.S. military assistance will likely be limited to intelligence, mission planning and hostage negotiations, several officials told CNN. It's unlikely at this point that U.S. troops would be involved in operations, the officials said.
Our hearts, sympathies and prayers go our to the kidnapped girls, their families, and all Nigerians. We hope for their safe return, the capture, or elimination of these criminals and terrorists, and a return to peace in Nigeria.
11:11 AM PT: Jayden reminds us that late yesterday Boco Haram kidnapped 8 more girls as reported here Boko Haram kidnaps 8 more girls, Saudi Arabia busts al Qaeda group, U.S. issues Nigeria travel alert
2:09 PM PT: Boco Haram does not represent Islam says Ahmed Sahi who denounces their violence. More Islamic leaders should denounce Boco Haram and their violence approaches to Jihad. A difference of opinion has emerged in this post about what fraction of the Islamic community believes Jihad in an internal struggle with ones moral failings versus what fraction believes in repealing non-believers from Islamic soil. My point was just to praise Ahmed Sahi for quickly rising and being among the first Islamic leaders to denounce Boco Haram and violent Jihad so I praised his op-ed denouncing BH.
2:11 PM PT: CNN has announced America has closed our Embassy in Yemen out of concern for retaliation from al Qaeda for our assistance to the government of Yemen and cracking down on al Qaeda units I reported yesterday.
2:54 PM PT: Thanks to ExpatGirl for bringing us this link:
Boco Haram does not represent Islam says Ahmed Sahi who denounces their violence
BARELY 23 days after the abduction of over 200 students of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Chibok in Borno State by gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist group, 11 other girls were at about 9.45 p.m. on Monday night abducted from Warabe and Wala villages in Gwoza Local Council area of the state.
Gwoza is a border town with Cameroun, and 135 kilometres southeast of Maiduguri, the state capital.
The abducted girls, according to a resident of Warabe, Hamba Tada, in an SMS text message to The Guardian, are teenagers between the ages of 12 and 15.