This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/boko-haram-shooting-gunmen-kill-at-least-97-people-praying-at-a-mosque-in-nigeria-10362348.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kill at least 97 people praying at mosques in Nigeria | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Suspected Boko Haram gunmen have killed almost 100 worshippers who had gathered at mosques in northeast Nigeria during the holy month of Ramadan. | |
| Worshippers were praying before breaking their fasts early on Wednesday evening, when the attackers stormed several mosques and opened fire in Kukawa, near Lake Chad. | |
| At least 97 people, mainly men, were fatally shot, local vigilante Abbas Gava and a senior government official who remained unnamed, told the Associated Press. | |
| It is feared many more could be dead, as a military source told Reuters that "many people were killed" and that the casualty figure "may be very high." | |
| Security forces did not offer an immediate comment nor confirm a death toll when contacted by Reuters. | |
| Boko Haram militants also broke into people’s homes and killed women and children as they prepared evening meals, Gava said quoting fighters from his group in the town. | Boko Haram militants also broke into people’s homes and killed women and children as they prepared evening meals, Gava said quoting fighters from his group in the town. |
| The violence is characteristic of Boko Haram’s attacks on mosques espousing a moderate form of Islam, and is in line with a directive from extremist group Isis for fighters to increase attacks during Ramadan. | The violence is characteristic of Boko Haram’s attacks on mosques espousing a moderate form of Islam, and is in line with a directive from extremist group Isis for fighters to increase attacks during Ramadan. |
| Earlier this year, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to Isis, which has claimed swathes of land in Syria and Iraq. | Earlier this year, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to Isis, which has claimed swathes of land in Syria and Iraq. |
| The rise of Boko Haram | |
| Wednesday’s attack come a day after the extremist group killed 48 men and boys during a night-time ambush in the twin villages of Mussaram I and Mussaram II around 35km away, a member of the lower house of parliament and a police source told Reuters. | |
| The killers ordered men and women to separate and then opened fire on the men and boys, witnesses said. | The killers ordered men and women to separate and then opened fire on the men and boys, witnesses said. |
| “A total of 48 males died on the spot while 17 others escaped with serious injuries,” said Maidugu Bida, a self-defense official based in nearby Monguno who helped bury the dead, told the Associated Press. | |
| Boko Haram have lead a six-year insurgency in Nigeria's north east, killing thousands of people and forcing 1.5million people to flee their homes, as the violent group attempts to establish and Islamic caliphate. | |
| By the end of 2014, the group had claimed an area roughly the size of Belgium. However, a push by the Nigerian military in the run up to the nation's presidential election saw them lose all but three of 20 local government areas, according to officials. | |
| President Muhammadu Buhari, who was inaugurated on May 29, has held talks with officials from neighbouring countries Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin to set up a regional force to tackle the insurgents. | |
| Additional reporting by AP and Reuters |