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WORLD NEWS Friday 9 June 2017
13 dead, including Boko Haram attackers, in Nigerian city

By HARUNA UMAR with soldiers outside the
Associated Press city in Alidawari village
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) and Jiddari Polo suburb,
— At least 13 people are where homes were set on
dead, including four at- fire, Chukwu said. Nigerian
tackers, after Boko Haram forces killed three Boko
launched the deadliest Haram insurgents in that
attack in months on the fighting, he said, and one
northeast Nigeria city that attacker was captured
is the birthplace of the ex- alive.
tremist group, police said Acting president Yemi
Thursday. The attack came Osinbajo arrived in Maidu-
just hours before a visit by guri on Thursday to launch
the country’s acting presi- a food relief program for
dent. hundreds of thousands
Nigeria late last year de- of people who have fled
clared that Boko Haram their homes in the wake
had been crushed but at- of Boko Haram attacks in
tacks continue, often with the region. The eight-year
young women strapped insurgency has killed more
into explosives for suicide than 20,000, kidnapped
attacks. thousands and spilled into
The jihadists attacked late A woman salvages cooking pots at the site of an explosion, in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Thursday, June neighboring countries, cre-
Wednesday in Maiduguri, 8, 2017. Authorities in northeast Nigeria say at least six people are dead and dozens are wounded ating a vast humanitarian
the capital of Borno state, after Boko Haram militants launched a series of attacks during the Muslim holy month of Rama- crisis with thousands said to
as evening prayers were dan. be near starvation.q
ending, targeting four lo- (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)
cations around the city. Police Commissioner Da-
Thirteen people were killed, mian Chukwu said.
including four attackers, Extremists also clashed

Nearly 70 dead in an al-Shabab

attack on Somalia military base

By ABDI GULED, Associated Abdi Hersi Ali, Puntland’s
Press interior minister, said troops
MOGADISHU, Somalia suffered causalities but he
(AP) — Heavily armed al- declined to give further de-
Shabab extremists have tails.
stormed a military base Residents in the area re-
in Somalia’s semiautono- ported chaotic scenes,
mous state of Puntland, kill- with fighters beheading
ing close to 70 people and several civilians they en-
wounding dozens more, countered. One witness,
officials said Thursday. Resi- Abdibasit Hassan, said
dents said civilians, includ- women were among those
ing women, were behead- beheaded.
ed during the rampage. “The situation is grim over
Officials called it the re- there. This attack was an
gion’s deadliest attack in unexpected one,” Mo-
years, highlighting the twin hamed said. The extremists,
challenges facing security including suicide bombers,
forces from the al-Qaida- reportedly attacked the
linked al-Shabab and the base from three directions,
growing presence of fight- forcing soldiers to retreat.
ers linked to the Islamic Col. Hashi Ahmed, a senior
State group. military official, told The
The attack began with Associated Press that rein-
a blast at the remote Af- forcement troops reached
Urur camp, roughly 100 the area and drove the ex-
kilometers (62 miles) west tremists out of the camp.
of the commercial hub He estimated that at least
of Bossaso, before the ex- 100 fighters were involved
tremists overran the base in the attack.
and killed soldiers at close Al-Shabab claimed killing
range, said Ahmed Mo- at least 61 soldiers in the at-
hamed, a senior military of- tack. The SITE Intelligence
ficial. Group, which monitors
Close to 70 people were extremist groups, said the
killed, though an exact extremist group issued the
death toll was not yet claim via its Shahada News
available, Mohamed said. Agency.q