NIAMEY (Reuters) - Thirty members of Boko Haram and five Nigerien soldiers have been killed in fighting in the southeastern Diffa region of Niger, the defense ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The clash took place Monday near the village of Toumour, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, an area that has plagued by violence from the Islamist militant group and is under an extended state of emergency.

Boko Haram took the nearby town of Bosso in early June, in an attack that killed 32 soldiers and was the deadliest Boko Haram assault in Niger since April 2015. Since then, Chad has sent troops to help Niger wage a counterattack.

Fighting began on Monday morning when the army fell into an ambush, the statement said, adding that six soldiers were also injured and two militants were captured.

“The Boko Haram fighters were trying to prevent people from praying to mark the feast of sacrifice,” said Laouan Boukar, a resident of Toumour, referring to the important Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha that was on Monday.

Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamic state adhering to strict Sharia law in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. About 2.1 million people have been displaced and thousands have been killed during the insurgency.</s>NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger's defense ministry says at least five soldiers and 30 Boko Haram militants have been killed after an ambush by the Nigeria-based Islamic extremists led to fighting.

Col. Moustapha Michel Ledru said the attack on soldiers Monday near Toumour, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of the town of Diffa, also injured six soldiers.

He spoke Tuesday night on national television, saying the army captured two extremists along with a large quantity of arms and ammunition.

Ledru also said two soldiers were killed Sept. 8 when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device during a patrol near Barwa locality in the Diffa region.

Boko Haram has been launching attacks across Nigeria's borders into Niger, Chad and Cameroon, which contribute to a multinational force that seeks to counter it.</s>Seven Niger soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in two separate attacks by Boko Haram Islamists over the past week, the army has said.

The two attacks took place in the southeastern Diffa region near the border with Nigeria, according to a military statement released late on Tuesday.

Five of them were killed in an ambush on Monday morning carried out by "members of the Boko Haram terrorist group" which also left six others wounded.

In an earlier incident on September 8, two soldiers were killed and another two wounded when their patrol vehicle went over "an improvised explosive device", the statement said.

Earlier this month, five villagers were killed and two others wounded in the same area in another attack by the Nigeria-based jihadist group in the first such incident since early June.

Boko Haram's seven-year insurgency has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and border areas of neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, and made more than 2.6 million homeless.</s>A boy looks on in a camp in the village of Kidjendi near Diffa on June 19, 2016 as displaced families fled from Boko Haram attacks in Bosso. By Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Niger is increasingly becoming a target for Boko Haram attacks, as the Islamists come under sustained military pressure in Nigeria while reeling under a leadership struggle, analysts said Thursday.

Despite a decline in the frequency of attacks this year in northeastern Nigeria, the experts warned of escalating raids across the border, especially in Niger.

"Niger's southern border with Nigeria represents a relatively soft flank for Boko Haram, particularly in its eastern stretches," Roddy Barclay, intelligence analyst at consultancy firm Africa Practice, told AFP.

"The porous national border is under-policed and adjoins some of the most insecure territories in northeastern Nigeria."

IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) said Boko Haram carried out 22 attacks into Cameroon, Chad and Niger in 2014 and 62 in 2015, when it aligned with the Islamic State group.

There were 41 cross-border attacks this year until the end of August with Niger bearing the brunt of the violence, including a raid on a military base near the southeastern town of Bosso in June in which at least 26 soldiers were killed.

"Before Boko Haram allied with the Islamic State, it did carry out cross-border attacks outside their core territory of north eastern Nigeria," said Matthew Henman, head of IHS JTIC.

"But since 2015, the number of cross-border operations rose dramatically as the group retaliated against the West African coalition fighting to defeat them."

Henman said the Bosso attack -- and subsequent strikes against government and other military targets in the region -- indicated a shift in Boko Haram to IS methods.

This focused "less on the indiscriminate killing of fellow Muslims and more on targeting regional security forces".

IS announced in August that Abu Musab al-Barnawi -- the son of Boko Haram's founder Mohammed Yusuf -- had replaced Abubakar Shekau as head of the group, which now styles itself Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Barnawi has criticised Shekau for the indiscriminate killing of fellow Muslims: at least 20,000 people have been killed in northeast Nigeria in a wave of raids, suicide attacks and bombings since 2009.

The shadowy Shekau has maintained he is still in charge but there have been recent reports of clashes between rival factions in the north of northeast Nigeria's Borno state, near Lake Chad.

JTIC said it still expected attacks on civilians from the Shekau camp to continue, while those aligned with Barnawi would conduct operations against the military and government.

The upsurge in attacks in Niger was an indication Boko Haram may have already begun to regroup, contradicting the military's version that it was on the run and struggling, Henman told AFP.

He also said the jihadists' aim appeared to be to undermine the Multi-National Joint Task Force of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin, which is operating in the Lake Chad region against them.

The regional force, whose deployment has been long delayed, depends on coordination and cooperation between countries not known for working together or sharing mutual trust -- and Boko Haram could play on that, said Henman.

"IS has been very good at picking apart alliances and coalitions, pitting allies against one another. They will try to sow discord in that coalition," Henman said.

Nigeria is facing security threats on multiple fronts: Boko Haram in the northeast; ethnic violence in the central region; Biafran separatists in the southeast; and oil rebels in the south.

"The military build-up (in northeast Nigeria) can't be sustained indefinitely", even if the threat in the Niger delta does not develop, he added.

While Nigeria boasts one of the largest armies in Africa, Barclay warned that fighting multiple fronts could expose political mismanagement and corruption in the military and undermine recent gains.

"The military technically has the resources to operate on two fronts," Barclay said. "But it risks becoming stretched and seeing some of its internal dysfunction exposed," he said.

"Any shortfalls in discipline, management and logistics are likely to be accentuated."</s>
• Cautions journalist against coverage in N/East without authorisation

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Zacchaeus Somorin with agency reports

The terrorist group, Boko Haram, wednesday released another video threatening to capture President Muhammadu Buhari.

The footage, narrated in Hausa Language, was said to have been shot somewhere in Borno State, where the sect sprang from. It showed suspected terrorists praying on what the narrator said was an Eid ground on Monday, Sallah day.

The video was posted on YouTube wednesday and the group said it was using it to send out message that it remained a strong force.

But the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has rubbished the video as an invention of the social media.

 The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, in response to THISDAY inquiries wednesday, urged members of the public to ignore the latest Boko Haram video as a photo shop creation.

Abubakar stated that the terrorists had been decimated militarily, lost ground and only pretending to be alive through the social media.

Earlier yesterday, 30 members of Boko Haram and five Nigerien soldiers were reported killed in fighting in the South-eastern Diffa region of Niger, the defence ministry said in a statement.

 According to Reuters, the clash took place on Monday near the village of Toumour, near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, an area that has been plagued by violence from the Islamist militant group and is under an extended state of emergency.

Fighting began on Monday morning when the army fell into an ambush, the statement said, adding that six soldiers were also injured and two militants were captured. “The Boko Haram fighters were trying to prevent people from praying to mark the feast of sacrifice,” said Laouan Boukar, a resident of Toumour, referring to the important Muslim holiday Eid-el-Kabir that was on Monday

The group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, did not appear in the video, but the narrator said his deputy, whose name was not mentioned, represented him at the gathering. In the video, which was recorded in composite to capture two Eid grounds, the group stated its willingness to continue its jihad against the Nigerian government.

The group also called Buhari an infidel and threatened to capture him. “This is our Eid prayer from us and by the support of our leader Imam Abubakar Al-Shekau. We are extending our greetings to our people and fighters.

“Message to the infidels and the leader of the entire infidels (kefir) who is the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, that he should know we are very strong and doing very good. By the will of Allah under the leadership of our leader (Shekau) we will capture Buhari with our hands.”

The video comes exactly a month after the sect released a similar one which purportedly showed how the Nigerian military coordinated an aerial attack on its hideout that left some of the abducted Chibok girls dead. The military appeared embarrassed by the video and declared three people wanted for allegedly taking part in its release.

The new video also comes a few days after rumours on social media that the federal government had already commenced a prisoner swap with the sect. The rumours said Kabiru Sokoto, a leader of the sect who was convicted for the Christmas Day bombing in 2013 had been released. The rumour later turned out to be false as the prison authority said that the terrorist was still in prison.

The Boko Haram had indicated willingness for a prisoner swap with the federal government in order to release the kidnapped Chibok girls, a move the federal government has said it is willing to consider.

The DHQ, however, dismissed the latest video as an invention of the social media.

 Abubakar said the video was photo shopped, adding that the terrorists had been decimated militarily, lost ground and only pretending to be alive through the social media.

He said: “The only ground the BHT can go into and hide and pretend to be alive is social media because it is everybody’s home without tracing the source.

“More so, in this era of cut and paste anything is possible in Information Technology. We reiterate our total commitment and resilience in stamping them out, but people shouldn’t be deceived by their use of photoshop.”

The Defence spokesman noted that the Boko Haram video release was a sign of weakness and an indication that the terror group was a spent force.

He dismissed its threat to kill the president and other key figures mentioned in the video as a huge joke and empty threat to stay afloat through the social media.

“More so, which Boko Haram? I believe the issue of the group is near ending by the special grace of God. The video is a complete sign of weakness and poses no threat to us. The so called video is an attempt by the remnants to remind us that there was once a Boko Haram elements.

“Empty vessels make the loudest sound. Issue of threat to PMB is a complete joke and dream of the century. Therefore, the entire clip is a washout as everybody is appreciative of our feat against BHT and there is no doubt about it . They too know,” he said.

In a related development, Abubakar noted that certain journalists embarked on the coverage of security areas in the North-east for documentary purpose and the like without due authorisation from the military authorities.

He warned: “This practice is not only capable of jeopardising the success of the on-going military operations in the area but also poses great concern to the safety of the journalists concerned.”

 He stressed that inasmuch as the military was not trying to gag the press from carrying out its legitimate duties, permission should be sought from the Armed Forces before embarking on such venture.

According to him, this will enable adequate security to be provided for such journalists by the military.

“Even though Boko Haram has been substantially decimated, any roaming journalist could be a target of unsuspecting fleeing Boko Haram member and this will not be in the best interest of media organisations and the nation at large,” he added.

Abubakar advised that any journalist desirable of covering conflict areas should seek permission from the military hierarchy so that adequate security arrangements could be provided by the troops on the ground.

He maintained that it was also the responsibility of the military to safeguard the lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry, including law abiding journalists in the theatre of operation and in Nigeria in general.

A reliable source from the Nigerian Army told THISDAY yesterday that preliminary investigation showed that the latest Boko Haram video was an edited version of the one it released in 2014.

 “I am still laughing at the gullibility of some people; the video was shot in 2014. They only edited and imposed some aspects,” the senior officer said.</s>LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A new video by Boko Haram threatens to kill Nigeria's president and army chief and warns of further destruction, though the Islamic extremists have not mounted a major attack in Nigeria in months.

A preacher in the video says Boko Haram is "even stronger now" and "will destroy what we never destroyed before," according to a translation from the Hausa by Premium Times newspaper.

The video posted on YouTube on Wednesday says it was shot Monday in Nigeria's northeastern Sambisa Forest at prayers marking Eid al-Adha festival. It shows scores of worshipping men, many armed, in a mosque and at an outdoor ceremony.

Boko Haram is in the midst of a power struggle and the video declares allegiance to long-time leader Abubakar Shekau.

The 7-year uprising has killed more than 20,000 people.</s>Senator Iroegbu

 with agency report

 The death, last week of Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo, father of ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), is threatening the fragile peace in the Niger Delta, Reuters reported on Monday, saying militants were becoming restive over the circumstances of the death.

The militants massed in the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), that had dealt heavy blows to oil and gas installations in the region, had entered into an unofficial ceasefire with the federal government, pending formal negotiations of their grievances last month.

But the death of the father of the militant leader, the report said, might reverse the little gains of the peace process and lead to the resumption of hostilities as the militants were said to be holding the military vicariously liable for the incident.

The octogenarian had fallen while fleeing an army raid on his hometown in May and injured his leg, which had to be amputated two months later, said a spokesman for his son, Tompolo.

The old man died last week from complications arising from the amputation. And the NDA militants were said to be agitated by this.

 Although security sources said Tompolo had links to the NDA, which had claimed responsibilities for the attacks on oil and gas installations, which incidentally began shortly after corruption charges were brought against him, he had persistently denied any involvement in the acts.

“In a nutshell, [the] government caused the death of my father,” Frank Ekpemupolo, another son, said at a gathering of 400 mourners at his father’s compound in Warri, the largest city in Delta State.

 Mourners including community chiefs, politicians and villagers accused troops of harassing people in the fishing communities dotted along the region’s waterways.

An Avengers spokesman told Reuters the military was “harassing poor people of the Niger Delta”. The military denies it, saying troops are merely searching for militants and criminals.

 Several new militant groups have sprung up in the last few weeks, each with its own demands, and some have vowed to launch a new wave of attacks.

Community leaders say they are concerned that the government has not contacted militants or unveiled a negotiation team, three weeks after the Avengers said they were ready for the promised talks.

“We haven’t been contacted, but we are not worried,” said the Avengers spokesman.

 Captain Mark Anthony, a spokesman for the Niger Delta Liberation Force, a defunct militant group, said the “government’s muteness” since the Avengers announced a ceasefire was creating “a security concern for everybody”.

“They have only stopped bombing temporarily. It doesn’t mean they are tired of bombing,” he said.

 An army offensive was launched in late August against militant camps which led to the deaths of five people and the arrests of 23 others.

Eric Omare, spokesman for the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), which represents one of the region’s largest ethnic groups, said statements by President Muhammadu Buhari that militants would be treated like Boko Haram jihadists prompted fears that the offer of talks was a ruse to prepare for a military onslaught.

Tensions in Warri are concentrated along its murky brown waterways — used by fishermen, commuters and thieves stealing crude oil — where fleeting encounters with strangers can end in bloodshed.

Boats slow down and their occupants raise their arms when they encounter naval patrol boats fitted with machine guns.

 Fishermen say they fear being mistaken for militants and shot. Gunmen disguised as priests killed three soldiers last month.

An official who did not want to be named said “arrangements” were being made to resume dialogue with the militants.

 He said the government wanted each militant group to send representatives, rather than acting through intermediaries as in the past.</s>Your feedback is important to us!

We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article.

Comments submitted by third parties on this site are the sole responsibility of the individual(s) whose content is submitted. The Daily Star accepts no responsibility for the content of comment(s), including, without limitation, any error, omission or inaccuracy therein. Please note that your email address will NOT appear on the site.

If you are facing problems with posting comments, please note that you must verify your email with Disqus prior to posting a comment. follow this link to make sure your account meets the requirements. (http://bit.ly/vDisqus)</s>The troops of the Nigerian Army have killed four Boko Haram members near Jororo and Tombaeji villages in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Thursday that the troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole who carried out the clearance operation in which the insurgents were killed also captured one of them alive.

He said the insurgents were killed in an encounter at Gajire village which lasted 15 minutes on Wednesday.

The Acting Army Spokesman added that “the troops recovered two General Purpose Machine Guns, two AK-47 rifles and 144 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition from the terrorists.

Two Kasea-branded motorcycles were said to have also been recovered for the insurgents.

He said the troops were continuing with their routine operation designed to prevent the insurgents from carrying out any attack in the area.

He said, “Following reported activities of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists around Jororo and Tombaeji villages in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole carried out a clearance operation in the area in the early hours of Wednesday 14th September 2016.

“The fighting patrol team sent, came into contact with Boko Haram elements around Gajire village during which there was a firefight that lasted for about 15 minutes.

“The gallant troops overpowered the terrorists and killed four of them and captured one alive.”</s>The jihadist group Boko Haram has released a new video without its embattled leader Abubakar Shekau, lending weight to claims by the Nigerian army he had been gravely wounded in an air strike.

The 13-minute video posted on YouTube late Tuesday shows an unidentified man in a flowing white robe and a sword dangling by his side presiding over Eid prayers in a mosque.

Hundreds of poorly fed villagers and children, who are apparently Boko Haram supporters, are seen in the video filmed on Monday.

The man says he is representing Shekau, who had allegedly been ousted by the Islamic State to which Boko Haram pledged allegiance in March 2015.

"My brethren, today is Eid ..in the Islamic Caliphate under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, may Allah protect him," he says, speaking in the local Hausa language.

The Nigerian army claimed on August 23 Shekau had been seriously wounded in the shoulder in an air raid in which several commanders were killed.

"We convey our Eid greetings to our brethren all over the world under the Islamic Caliphate and especially our leader Abubakar Shekau, may Allah protect him," the man in the video says.

He then taunts the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying Boko Haram would fight on despite a military crackdown, adding: "No retreat, no surrender."

It was not immediately clear if the video, which was technically superior to previous ones, was shot in Boko Haram's Sambisa forest stronghold in the northern state of Borno or elsewhere.

Nigerian soldiers, with the support of regional troops, have recaptured swathes of territory lost to the jihadists since they launched a military campaign in February 2014.

Despite earlier claims by the Nigerian government that Shekau had been killed, the militant leader has resurfaced later in videos.

Last month, the IS replaced Shekau with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf, in an apparent split in the group whose insurgency has killed some 20,000 and displaced more than 2.6 million since 2009.

Boko Haram has also released a video showing at least one of the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok more than two years ago, and called for its detained fighters to be freed.

The mass kidnapping of schoolgirls from the remote town of Chibok provoked global outrage and brought unprecedented attention to Boko Haram and its bloody quest to create a fundamentalist state in northeastern Nigeria.

Nigeria is facing security threats on multiple fronts: Boko Haram Islamists in the northeast, Biafran separatists in the southeast, oil rebels in the south and nomadic herdsmen in the central states.
Clashes near the village of Toumour in Niger's southeast Diffa Region kill at least 30 Boko Haram militants and five Niger Armed Forces soldiers.