Nigeria Attacks

Army lays siege to Nigerian 'Taliban' in bid to crush rebels Guardian UK — Government forces were closing in on the stronghold of a group dubbed the "Nigerian Taliban" last night after four days of violence that have left more than 200 dead and sent 4,000 fleeing their homes in the north of the country. Around 100 women including mothers with newborn babies were freed by troops after being held hostage for almost a week by the Islamist sect Boko Haram, which is militating for sharia law and opposes modern education. click to read complete article

Scores Die as Fighters Battle Nigerian Police New York Times — Scores have been killed in clashes between the police and members of a fundamentalist Islamic sect in towns across northern Nigeria, a predominantly Muslim region that for years has had regular and often bloody outbreaks of sectarian unrest. An obscure group opposed to Western education appears to be at the root of the current troubles. The Nigerian police accused it of attacks on police stations in at least two states on Sunday and Monday. click to read complete article

Nigerian Islamists flee city as army overruns base: military Agence France Presse — Members of a Nigerian Islamist fundamentalist sect fled the northern city of Maiduguri on Wednesday after the military overran their base, an army commander said. The news came just hours after the army announced that another thousand soldiers had been sent to the region to reinforce troops battling sect members after four days of deadly clashes. click to read complete article