Nigerian Forces Report 52 Islamist Militants Dead, 70 Arrested

[HuffingtonPost]

KANO, Nigeria, March 9 (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces  said on Saturday they had killed 52 Islamist militants over 10  days of fighting in the northeasterly Borno state, at a cost of  only two of their own men, with no civilian deaths.                

The announcement came a day after President Goodluck  Jonathan paid a visit to the state in which he rejected the idea  of an amnesty for the Islamist sect Boko Haram, which has killed  hundreds in gun and bomb attacks in the past two years.                

The Islamists are seen as the main security threat to  Africa's top energy producer, although their sphere of influence  is far from the crucial oil fields in the south.                

Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for the mixed  military and police joint task force (JTF) in Borno state, said  in a statement that a series of operations had been conducted  against Islamists over the past 10 days.                

"During these operations under the period stated, there were  exchanges of fire that led to the death of 52 Boko Haram  terrorists including 10 commanders of the sect," he said.                

"Seventy terrorists were also arrested."                

He said the JTF had also seized a number of weapons.                

It was not possible to verify the claims independently.  Nigerian forces often claim substantial successes against Boko  Haram militants but rarely admit to significant losses on their  own side or civilian casualties during their operations.                

Residents of Maiduguri, Borno's largest city, say dozens of  civilians die in military raids against Boko Haram, and rights  groups accuse the JTF of heavyhandedness and extrajudicial  killing.                

A Nigerian Islamist splinter group from Boko Haram, based in  the northwest, said on Saturday it had killed seven foreign  hostages seized last month from a construction firm's compound  in northern Nigeria.                

Nigerian authorities said they had no information on any  such killing, and doubted the veracity of the statement.     (Reporting by Chukwuemeka Madu; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing  by Kevin Liffey)

Via: HuffingtonPost