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                       Boko Haram Attacks Gombe, Nigeria

   by VOA News

   The terrorist group Boko Haram stormed the restive Nigerian
   northeastern city of Gombe Saturday.

   Fleeing residents reported "raging gunfire." There is no immediate word
   about casualties.

   On Friday, Boko Haram, for the first time carried out an attack in
   Chad, part of a widening insurgency that has now drawn in four
   countries.

   ''Chadian officials say at least 12 people were killed during the early
   morning violence in the village of Ngouboua, including the village
   chief. Officials say the militants crossed Lake Chad in four motorized
   boats early in the morning.

   The militants set fire to parts of the village before being driven out
   by Chadian troops.

   Officials say the army could not follow the attackers because it lacks
   motorized boats, but that Chadian helicopters launched strikes over the
   lake, destroying the boats of the retreating militants.

   The governor of Chad's Lake Region, Bayana Kossingar, said those killed
   in the fighting included two soldiers, five civilians and five
   militants.

   Ngouboua is already home to more than 2,000 refugees who had fled Boko
   Haram violence in Nigeria. The head of the refugee camp in Ngouboua,
   Idriss Peve, says none of the refugees was harmed in Friday's attack.

   Boko Haram has previously launched deadly attacks on towns in Cameroon
   and Niger.

   Those two countries along with Chad recently joined a regional
   offensive against the Islamist extremist group.

   The United States strongly condemned the attack. "We offer our deepest
   condolences to the victims, their families, and to those who have been
   displaced by these cruel acts, and we reiterate our support for these
   countries' efforts to fight Boko Haram in a manner that respects human
   rights and the rule of law," said National Security Council Spokeswoman
   Bernadette Meehan. She also applauded the progress of the regional
   military force, saying it "will prove vital to protecting civilians and
   enhancing security throughout the region."

   A U.N. Security Council spokesperson said the members of the group have
   reaffirmed that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,
   including the actions of Boko Haram, constitutes one of the most
   serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts
   of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their
   motivation, wherever, whenever and by whosoever committed."

   The U.N. special representative for West Africa, Mohammed Ibn Chambas,
   said Friday the United Nations expects Nigeria's military to do more to
   combat Boko Haram fighters.

   Also Friday, the U.N. refugee agency said the town of Diffa in
   southeastern Niger is "virtually empty" after several days of clashes
   between Boko Haram and soldiers from Niger and Chad. Spokesman Adrian
   Edwards said that before the attacks, Diffa had a population of 50,000.

   The agency said violence in northeastern Nigeria has now caused more
   than 157,000 people to flee to neighboring countries and displaced
   almost 1 million inside Nigeria.

   Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin recently agreed to create a
   regional force of 8,700 troops to fight Boko Haram.

   The extremists have killed thousands of people since launching their
   insurgency in 2009 and control dozens of towns in northeastern Nigeria.
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   033.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/boko-haram-attacks-gombe-nigeria/2644033.html