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               Boko Haram Claims Control of Town; Military Denies

   by VOA News

   Nigeria's Boko Haram militants say they have taken control of a
   northern town and annexed it into what they call their Islamic state.

   ''The statement came in a video released Sunday, showing the group's
   alleged leader Abubakar Shekau.  In the video, Shekau says Boko Haram
   has seized control of Gwoza, a small city in Borno state near the
   border with Cameroon.

   ''In a statement to VOA, Nigerian military spokesman Major General
   Chris Olukolade denied the group's claim, saying "The sovereignty and
   territorial integrity of the Nigerian state is still intact."

   He added that military operations to secure the Gwoza area are still
   ongoing.

   Boko Haram has killed thousands of people since 2009, with the stated
   goal of creating an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

   Despite a state of emergency declared in Borno and two neighboring
   states, Nigerian authorities have failed to subdue the group, which
   according to analysts is better-armed than the country's military.

   Last week, Nigerian soldiers said a unit had refused to advance toward
   Gwoza and another town, Daiwa, because they felt they did not have
   adequate weapons.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/boko-haram-claims-control-of-town-mil
   itary-denies/2427100.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/boko-haram-claims-control-of-town-military-denies/2427100.html