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Boko Haram Seizes Army Base in Northeast Nigeria
This Friday Oct. 31, 2014 image is taken from video by Nigeria’s Boko Haram terrorist network, with the leader of Nigeria’s Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, center. (AP Photo)
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters)—Islamist militants have overrun an army base in the remote northeast Nigerian town of Baga, two security sources said on Sunday.
Baga is notionally the headquarters of a multinational force comprising troops from Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, although only Nigerian troops are actually stationed there.
Troops eventually fled the remote station on the semi-desert shores of Lake Chad after it was attacked on Saturday by Boko Haram fighters in military vehicles, both sources said. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The insurgency has killed over 10,000 people this year, according to a count by the Council on Foreign Relations in November. It is the gravest threat to Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, and a headache for President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of an election on Feb. 14 where he is being challenged by opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler seen as tough on security.
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