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Nigerian army 'inflicts heavy casualties' on Boko Haram Nigeria's Boko Haram 'seize' Bama town in Borno
(1 day later)
The Nigerian army says it has repelled an attack by Islamist militants Boko Haram on the town of Bama in the country's north-east. Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram has seized the key north-eastern town of Bama after fierce fighting with government forces, residents say.
The rebels tried to storm the town on Monday morning, officials said. Thousands of civilians have fled the town, along with soldiers, they added.
Security sources were quoted as saying dozens of fighters had been killed, but this has not been confirmed. The military has not yet officially commented on the claim that it has lost control of Bama, the second biggest town in Borno state.
Boko Haram recently announced it had established an Islamic state in the towns and villages it controls in north-eastern Nigeria. Last month, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.
The town of Bama is 70km (44 miles) from the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri. If confirmed, the capture of Bama would be an extremely significant development and would raise concerns that Boko Haram's next target will be Maiduguri, the state capital about 70km (45 miles) away, says BBC Hausa service editor Mansur Liman in the capital, Abuja.
"There was an attempt by the Boko Haram people to enter and capture Bama. But thank God for the efforts of the soldiers stationed near the mobile police unit who were able to repel them,'' one witness, Mohammed Bunu Ahmed, told Reuters news agency. It would be the biggest town under Boko Haram control.
However, many of the town's residents have fled because of the fighting. Residents told BBC Hausa that Boko Haram captured Bama after heavy fighting on Sunday and Monday.
The group's five-year insurgency has intensified in recent months despite the deployment of thousands of extra troops to the worst-affected areas. The military had initially repelled Boko Haram's assault, but the group returned with reinforcements to seize the town, the residents said.
The militants, who travelled in armoured trucks, first took control of the military barracks, they added.
Soldiers and residents fled on foot, many of them walking all the way to Maiduguri, residents told the BBC.
Several security sources said Boko Haram had over-run much of Bama and there were heavy casualties on both sides, Reuters news agency reports.
About 70 militants had been killed, the Associated Press quoted security sources as saying.
On Monday, the military said on its Twitter account that the air force had been used to "repel and dislodge" Boko Haram from Bama.
The most recent census, in 2006, showed the town had a population of about 270,000.
An overnight curfew has been imposed in Maiduguri to prevent "infiltration" by militants, it added.
Boko Haram's five-year insurgency has intensified in recent months despite the deployment of thousands of extra troops to the worst-affected areas.
In April, the militants captured more than 200 girls from a boarding school in the town of Chibok, also in Borno state.
Countries such as China, France, the UK and US have sent military assistance to help find the girls but they have not yet been rescued.