Mark Morgenstein
CNN
From CNN Website
Kano, Nigeria (CNN) -- The fight against militant Islamists
in Nigeria led to dozens of deaths, mostly of civilians, in three villages this
weekend.
A military plane trying to bomb camps of the Boko Haram
extremist group in the Sambisa Forest on Friday night "mistook the village
(Daglun) for a Boko Haram camp," said Ali Ndume, a senator representing
the region. The inaccurate air raid was part of "an ongoing
offensive" against the insurgents, Ndume said.
Ndume said the four bombs dropped by the government aircraft
killed five people and wounded several others. But Daglun residents, some of
whom were forced to flee into the bush from burning homes, said the bombardment
caused many more casualties.
"The village was asleep when I heard an aircraft
hovering, and within a short interval, aerial bombardment started," a
villager said, adding he was one of 25 wounded. "The bombs torched homes
and killed 20 people, most of them elderly people who could not run fast enough
to escape the bombing." The villager refused to give his name, fearing
retaliation.
A nurse at Mubi General Hospital, 45 kilometers (30 miles)
away, confirmed that 25 people were admitted with "mostly severe burns and
ruptured tissues." CNN was unable to confirm the number of causalities.
In a statement Sunday, the Nigerian military dismissed the
allegation that civilians were mistakenly killed in air operations, "as
the claim could not be confirmed after the mopping up aspect of the operation.
"The reports are believed to be part of the design by
those bent on discrediting the counter terrorists mission," it said.
Islamists blamed for
school attack Police: 45 dead in Nigeria attack
Less than 24 hours after that incident, a flurry of violence
in northeastern Nigeria, blamed on Boko Haram, left more than three dozen
people dead and may have taken many more lives.
Dozens of attackers in military uniforms stormed the village
of Mainok on Saturday evening, riding four-wheelers and motorcycles, as residents
were preparing for evening prayers. "They came in around 7 p.m. and opened fire
indiscriminately with RPGs (rocket propelled grenades), explosives and AK-47
rifles," said Mainok resident Yahaya Umar. "They killed 39 people who
were buried this morning and destroyed the whole town."
Boko Haram has attacked Mainok several times over the past
two years, including a raid in July that killed 25 people there.
Boko Haram is an Islamist militant group that has waged a
campaign of violence in northeastern Nigeria, trying to impose its strict
version of Sharia, or Islamic law.
In its statement, the military said that troops and
terrorists clashed around Mainok, resulting in an unspecified number of deaths
on each side. The soldiers were in pursuit of people who carried out an attack
in Buni Yadi last week, the military said. Police authorities were not available for comment on the
attack in Mainok, which came soon after two explosions in Maiduguri, 50
kilometers away.
"We were just lamenting the twin blasts in Maiduguri at
the soccer viewing center when the Boko Haram gunmen arrived and started firing
volleys of RPGs and guns," Abdullahi Gana said. The Mainok resident added
that some of the victims were burnt in their homes while others were shot as
they tried to flee.
The Maiduguri blasts happened about two minutes apart, as a
crowd watched soccer on television there as well, said Maiduguri resident Goni
Kakani. "It is difficult to say how many people died in the
blasts, but you are talking of dozens of dead people," said resident
Babagoni Hassan. A security official said it was not immediately clear how
many people had been injured or killed.
Mechanic Dahiru Sadiq said he and his customers ran for
their lives after hearing the explosions. "I can see smoke and flames across the road, though I
don't know which building is on fire," he said.
Another resident, Muktar Lawan, saw destroyed buildings. "All the houses in the area shook and many buildings
are razed and reduced to rubble," Lawan said.
Suspects believed to be responsible for detonating a bomb in
Maiduguri have been arrested and are "helping in the ongoing investigation
on the incident," the military said in its statement. "Patrols are continuing on land and air in the entire
mission area in North East towards apprehending or eliminating the rampaging
terrorists in the area," it said.
Daglun, Maiduguri and Mainok are all in the northeastern
Nigeria state of Borno, the site of repeated Boko Haram incursions.
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