Boko Haram Attacks Northeast Nigerian Town, Killing Two Soldiers

Boko Haram militants fired rockets in the northeast Nigerian town of Baga, which left two dead and a half a dozen more injured on Sunday, Yahoo reported.

Boko Haram Islamist militants fired rockets on a Nigerian military vehicle. Two soldiers were killed during the attack. Six other soldiers and a civilian were also critically injured during the attack when their vehicle was hit by a mine planted by Boko Haram just outside Baga, Bloomberg reported.

Residents of Baga, who witnessed the attack from Boko Haram, have been plagued by constant attacks from the militant group.

A resident from Baga, Karimbe Maina, said about the Boko Haram attack.

“Boko Haram fired a rocker-propelled grenade on a military van in an ambush in Baga which killed two soldiers and destroyed the vehicle.”

The attack from Boko Haram came as Nigerian military forces were escorting more than 1,200 people from Baga returning from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri.

Boko Haram had taken over Baga earlier in the year. The militant group was suspected in the deaths of hundreds of people. The Nigerian military has said that they have since recaptured the town in February, originally captured by Boko Haram in January.

Nigerian military forces were able to take back much of what Boko Haram captured over the past six years. In a multi-nation operation with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, Nigeria has been able to fight back against Boko Haram, as reported by the Inquisitr.

Nigerian soldiers were also engaged in a gun battle with Boko Haram militants, according to a vigilante.

Haruna Shuaibu, a vigilante involved, said the following about the gun battle between Boko Haram fighters and Nigerian soldiers.

“Following the attack which killed two soldiers there was a prolonged gun battle between soldiers and the Boko Haram gunmen, which forced the gunmen to flee.”

The attack forced the residents of Baga to leave the town, which was damaged in the attack.

Musa Bulama said the following about the military vehicle which exploded, injuring the six soldiers and the one civilian.

“We had to spend the night in Kauyen Kuros as a result of the explosion which injured six soldiers and a member of the civilian vigilantes giving security cover to the convoy.”

Nigerian forces have to remain on guard, with Boko Haram militants still in the area surrounding Baga.

Maina said the following about the constant threat from Boko Haram following the attack.

“Boko Haram are still in the bushes around Baga and move in and 0ut of the town unchallenged because soldiers confine themselves to their base in Mile 4 and only carry periodic patrols of the town.”

And Bulama said the following about the continual threat from Boko Haram following the attack.

“The area is still not safe. Boko Haram are very much around in the surrounding areas. No one should contemplate moving back into the area because it is dangerous.”

Boko Haram have been terrorizing parts of Nigeria for over six year in an effort to create an Islamic state. Thousands have, so far, been killed, and more than 1.5 million people have been displaced by the insurgency.

[Photo: Twitter]