"They came shouting 'Allahu Akbar' [God is greatest] and shooting everywhere, but confronted by the soldiers for three hours, most them were killed," Yahaya Mshelliza, one witness, told the agency. "At the moment only three escaped into the bush and are being pursued by the soldiers."
Troops in pursuit of fleeing terrorists as Mopping up operation is ongoing. Five (5) terrorists have so far been captured. Details Later /2
— DEFENCE HQ NIGERIA (@DefenceInfoNG) 14 января 2015
Biu is the largest town of southern Borno State, which lies in the northeast of Nigeria and has been the subject of a string of Boko Harem attacks in recent months. The BBC reports that Biu is host to a large number of refugees fleeing violence in other parts of the state, the majority of which is said to be under Boko Haram control.
According to Reuters, several dozen militants from Boko Haram entered the town on pick-up trucks and motorcycles, before being repelled by a counterattack from the Nigerian army, which has often been accused of failing to mount an adequate defense against the insurgents. Nigerian army spokesman Chris Olukolade told the BBC that the military had captured five of the insurgents alive, and obtained weapons from those it had killed.
NEWSNOW: Terrorist attack repelled by the Military in #BIU, Borno State. Two Anti-Aircraft Guns have been captured from the Terrorists. /1
— DEFENCE HQ NIGERIA (@DefenceInfoNG) 14 января 2015
In a report from Al-Jazeera on Tuesday, experts said that the military needed about 200,000 soldiers to carry out a counter-insurgency campaign in the northeast, much more than the current 30,000 to 40,000 currently fighting. "They're not able to put enough soldiers on the ground in places like Baga," said Andrew Noakes from research group Nigeria Security Network. Another analyst, Bawa Abdullahi Wase, told the agency that for more than a decade the military has been undermanned and underfunded by successive governments wary of the possibility of military coups.
Wednesday's attempt comes after several offensives from Boko Haram insurgents in recent weeks which have resulted in the seizure of territory and the deaths of civilians. The assault on the town of Baga, also in Borno State, last week was described by Amnesty International as the group's "worst yet," and said that as many as two thousand civilians were killed, with the town and surrounding areas destroyed.
