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Subscribe to RSSMAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- Nigeria's military killed 13 members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and lost one soldier on Tuesday in a gunbattle in Maiduguri, the group's northeastern stronghold, the army said.
Boko Haram, which is loosely based on the Afghan Taliban, killed hundreds last year in a campaign to impose Shariah, or Islamic law, in Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.
On Dec. 28, five people, including a police officer, were killed by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram members, police said. At least 32 people have now died in the northeast in the last week in violence presumed to be linked to Islamist militancy, the biggest threat to stability in Africa's main oil exporter.
"One soldier was killed by Boko Haram while the JTF killed 13 Boko Haram," Sagir Musa, spokesman for the military Joint Task Force, said on Tuesday.
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The military in the northeast have in the past played down their own casualties in fighting with Boko Haram.
Musa said that members of the sect had detonated a bomb at a JTF checkpoints in Maiduguri, and that all the deaths had occurred in the ensuing gunbattle.
Christians told to leave northern Nigeria or be attacked
Maiduguri, a remote, dusty town close to the borders of Chad and Niger, has been a hotbed of violence, directed mostly at the security forces, since Boko Haram took up arms in 2009.
Boko Haram's insurgency intensified after Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, was elected president in April 2011.
Gunmen kill at least 25 at Nigeria college residence
Jonathan has been unable to stop the rebellion despite waves of military offensives in the northeast and other parts of northern and central Nigeria where Boko Haram has a strong presence.
Western governments are increasingly concerned about Islamists in northern Nigeria linking up with outside groups, including al-Qaida's North African wing.
More Nigeria coverage from NBC News
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Some good news for a change. Condolences to the family of the nigerian soldeir.
"Boko Haram, which is loosely based on the Afghan Taliban, killed hundreds last year in a campaign to impose Shariah, or Islamic law, in Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims."
Just examine the damages by the seventh century Sunni Islamic barbaric and beastly killers.
Extremist versions of Sunni hater and killer fronts with different labels were invented, promoted and exported by the barbaric, beastly, bigoted, seventh century despotic Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and other Sunni Arab League nations.
They have been doing them through their Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques. These mosques have become hater and killing training centers.
Time has come to close these mosques all over the wrold. Enough is enough!
Excellent!
Yes, that is the second good message today about the untimely demise of Islam militants. Great show there.
"Western governments are increasingly concerned about Islamists in northern Nigeria linking up with outside groups, including al-Qaida's North African wing."
Pakis and Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations are responsible for 80 percent of world problems including economic ones.
Examine the devastations with Iraqi wars and now sanctions on Iranian oil and the resultant oil price manipulations.
Followers of Islamic cult, especially House of Saud and other Sunni ME rulers inspired and funded Sunni Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, Taliban and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days.
They are indulging in rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims (Darfur, S. Sudan, Nigeria and spreading like wild fire in many regions and Muslims (Libya, Yemen, Mali, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places).
In Egypt, the Sunni extremists with labels like Salaffi and MB (Muslim Blood hounds) are opening up new chapters of Islamic bigotry. Morsi is just a front for them.
Just watch the fate of Christians, women and Israel as the time goes by.
Even in Syria, if Assad is overthrown by Sunni Islamic religious Nazis like al-Qaida, MB, the conditions of Christians will be unbearable just like Iraq.
They are making the lives of their own people also miserable by their Islamic religious madness to the intolerable levels.
Time has come to erase Saudi Arabia and Pakistan/Madistan from world map!
It will give relief to some Muslims as well.
It is notable that the Taliban and its offshoots around the world never campaign for what they believe. They just go around killing people, regardless of what they think. Sounds like Allah and Mohammed were just gangsters and want to kill everyone who doesn't join their cult of murdering rapist drug dealers.
One important item was left out of this nbc reporting - Iranian murderers are suppliers of arms to Boko Haram in Nigeria, as well as terrorists in Sudan. We need to cut off the head of snake and world terrorism will decrease.
We should have an international law that would recognize any religious group of people who would forcefully due harm on another group be charged with a hate crime. And any group that would be charged with a hate crime would lose their religious status and by law be disbanded by all means possible. We need to have an international law of what religion clearly means. And the number one law of being recognized as a religion is that it must promote peace. Anything else would not be considered as a religion.
United we stand.
Let's hope the Nigerian government is swift in dealing with these terrorists to prevent them from having an increased influence in the region. Unfortunately, total eradication of this element is the only thing that has proven to work. More blood spilled for a demented and brain damaged view of Islam by those who are intolerant of any belief other than their own. Disgusting!
I wonder if they're still getting royalties from "Nights in White Satin", great song.
That was the Moody Blues. Maybe you're thinking of "A Whiter Shade of Pale."
Of course, you're correct. So obviously Boko Harem is not receiving royalities from "Nights in White Satin".
Copyrights normally continue for 50 years, in which case royalities for "Nights in White Satin" will be paid to Procol Harum for the next four years.
As for Boko Haram, they prefer the newer version "Nights in White Satan"
Knowing what I do about the Nigerian military, it's quite likely that they just rounded up the nearest civilians and shot them to death. It's been done before and it's on you tube. Hope you have a strong stomach. Look up 'Nigeria killings caught on video' from AlJazeera
Uh, no Hugh, that's what Boko Haram does. You're confused. Any fight between the Nigerian military and Boko Haram is a fight between the good guys and the bad guys. Boko Haram is evil.
Procol Harum, whaaa?
killing as many Muslim extremists as possible the better!
next the in line would be to kill as many cartel members as possible in Mexico even better!!!
Then start eradicating the gangs in America with open season hunting on known gang members!!!!
- no questions for any of these low-life scumbag groups, just blow them away and then harvest their organs (pay back to society for their evil deeds) and let the rest of their remains wrought away...
I wonder why an oil rich nation can not defend itself or buy drones etc.