Official: Nigeria Military Shells Camps, Kills 21

[Time]

(MAIDUGURI, Nigeria) — Soldiers in northeast Nigeria shelled suspected camps of Islamic extremists in the first military action of a new offensive against the insurgents, killing at least 21 people, a security official said Friday. The fighting was in the Sambisa Forest Reserve, just south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, which soldiers previously raided on the hunt for fighters belonging to the extremist network known as Boko Haram. Meanwhile, gunmen launched an assault on the hometown of one of Nigeria's former military rulers hundreds of miles (kilometers) away, attacking a police station and banks. (MORE: Nigeria President Declares State of Emergency) Soldiers started the attack on Sambisa Forest Reserve on Thursday, having previously converged in the area in advance of President Goodluck Jonathan's state of emergency decree affecting three states in the nation's northeast, a security official said. The shelling killed at least 21 suspected Islamic extremists, the official said. There was no independent confirmation of the assault or casualties. "We are not going to leave the forest until it's over," the official said, referring to the emergency rule. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing military operation. Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, a military spokesman based in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, could not be immediately reached for comment Friday. In a related development, mobile phone service returned Friday morning to parts of northeast Nigeria after being cut Thursday. The security official told the AP that the service cut came on the orders of Nigeria's government and security forces as soldiers moved into the northeast to begin operations. The official said service likely would be shut off again. Mobile phones have become the only real communication device in Nigeria for both voice calls and the Internet, as the state-run telephone company collapsed years ago. By cutting off service at towers, the military could stop extremists from receiving warnings or intelligence ahead of their operations. Authorities said Thursday they had no information about the service cutoff

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[Shola Sholaz]

They should just do whatever they want to eradicate this group called Boko Haram. They've caused so much trouble already...