The defense ministry says it has captured one of Nigeria’s “most
wanted” terrorists, a man named only as Abba, and one soldier was killed
in the battle.
The military also says it has killed three insurgents and captured 25
while foiling what it calls an “extensive terrorist operation” in
Maiduguri, at the epicenter of the insurrection by the extremist group
Boko Haram. Communication networks remain shut down making it hard to
confirm or deny the military’s account.
Besides stopping the attack and either arresting or killing all of
the plotters, the Nigerian military says it has intercepted messages
that urge Boko Haram insurgents to fight on against what the military
calls a “massive” offensive against the group.
Fleeing insurgents, it says, now have fewer places to run because
several towns on Nigeria’s borders have been taken over by government
troops.
But public communications networks are down, roads are blocked and
there are no independent observers reporting from the fronts, so none of
the military reports are verifiable. There has also been no word from
Boko Haram, which usually contacts the public only through YouTube
videos, blocked phone lines, and untraceable emails.
Some analysts fear the information blackout is an intentional
cover-up of human-rights abuses. International rights groups and the
U.S. government have previously accused Nigeria’s military of killing
suspects before arresting them, or arresting them without evidence.
But Wole Olaoye, a Nigerian journalist for nearly four decades, says
these accusations do not account for the reality of a war with Boko
Haram, an organization that claims ties to al-Qaida and has been blamed
for more than 3,000 deaths.
Soldiers, he says, can neither arrest people that are shooting at
them nor identify un-uniformed Boko Haram members without questioning
them.
“The very thin line between doing their duty, between doing one’s
duty as a soldier and extra-judicial killing, almost disappears. Because
they have said ‘It is war,’ now the government will now provide all the
facilities. There will be prisoners of war. There will be protocols for
all of these things,” Olaoye said.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno,
Yobe and Adamawa states on May 14 and sent thousands of soldiers to
battle Boko Haram. Since then, the military says it has captured
hundreds of militants and killed dozens.
The government says it is also trying to negotiate with Boko Haram
and has promised to release hundreds of prisoners, including all women
and children held in association with the insurgency.
But some analysts say the conflict could continue past the planned
six-month emergency rule and they suspect the military is exaggerating
its successes and playing down its losses
VOA
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