The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital has killed seven and arrested 13 persons suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect.
The spokesman of the JTF in Borno state, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa in a statement made available to Channels Television in Maiduguri said the security officials were conducting a cordon and search operation at Gwange junction of the metropolis when the hoodlums started shooting at them sporadically in reaction to the operation.
The statement said in response to the attack, seven of the insurgents were killed while thirteen were arrested.
Col Sagir however said no casualty was recorded on the side of the security forces.
Suspected sect member had on Wednesday launched an attack on telecommunication installations destroying several masts and killing over 20 persons in Yobe, Borno and Kano states.
The spokesman of the sect, Abul Qaqai in an emailed statement said "the attacks on these communication facilities will continue unabated, because the GSM firms are assisting the Federal Government and its security agencies in tracking and eventual arrests of our members in many parts of the country."
The Boko Haram in the statement also threatened attacks on the facilities of the Voice of America (VOA), including its personnel and correspondents.
The statement reads "Our ultimate goal is the establishment of an Islamic State in Nigeria and we would not hesitate in taking punitive measures against anybody who sabotage or assist others that are sabotaging our efforts.
"This is why we are fighting the Nigerian government and its collaborators, including telecommunication companies. We would continue attacking them (telecoms) until the time they stopped releasing information about our activities.
Telecommunication facilities were vandalised across the northern part of the country rendering communication within the region erratic.
http://www.channelstv.com/home/2012/09/07/jtf-kills-seven-arrest-13-suspected-members-of-boko-haram/
