KONDUGA, Nigeria - Hundreds of Islamic extremists posing as soldiers
attacked a northeast Nigerian town for hours, killing 39 people and
razing a mosque and more than 1,000 homes, survivors said Wednesday.
In
the ruins of the burned-out mosque, bodies covered in cloth lay ready
for burial Wednesday, including three small shrouds covering children
who did not look more than 10 years old.
"Why us? Why us?" one
woman wailed, trying to understand why militants set on creating an
Islamic state in Nigeria would attack a town of mainly Muslim farmers.
Numerous
villages in the area have been attacked and hundreds have been killed
in recent months despite a 9-month-long military state of emergency to
halt the uprising in three northeastern states covering one-sixth of
Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous nation divided almost
equally between Muslims and Christians. Thousands have been made
homeless and thousands more have fled to other parts of Nigeria and to
neighbouring states.
Farmers described Tuesday night's attack to
visiting Borno state Gov. Kashim Shettima. They told the governor that
about 400 attackers in military camouflage drove in from all directions
in apparently stolen army trucks led by an armoured personnel carrier.
They called people to them, then opened fire, the survivors said.
The few soldiers and police stationed in the town fled, outnumbered and outgunned, they said.
The
extremists arrived at 6 p.m. and went from house to house, using
homemade bombs to set them ablaze, and Shettima said about 70 per cent
of the town was destroyed.
The attackers only fled around 10 p.m. when a military aircraft strafed them into flight, survivors said.
Angry residents asked the governor why it took hours for the military to respond.
The
attack occurred at Konduga, an agrarian centre of about 10,000 farmers
that is just 35 kilometres (22 miles) and 30 minutes' drive from the
Borno state capital of Maiduguri. The city is the headquarters for the
military offensive and includes an air force base with bombers.
Shettima
told reporters who accompanied him on the trip that the extremists,
called Boko Haram, "are better armed and better motivated" than the
Nigerian military. He said the soldiers were doing their best but were
not as well-equipped.
Shettima told residents he would remain
with them until promised food, clothing and other emergency supplies
arrived later Wednesday. AP
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