Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - Damaturu, capital of the State of Yobe, north-east of Nigeria, was the scene of a real battle between the Boko Haram sect and the military of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF). The battle began at 5pm yesterday, June 18, according to reports from the "Daily Trust", when the military transferred a suspected member of Boko Haram who was wounded in a firefight at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital. A witness said that while the wounded was being cared for, a gunfight erupted outside the hospital gate. While the guards responded to the fire, the others transferred the prisoner to a safe place. But the battle spread to other parts of the city, with a series of coordinated attacks. Witnesses reached by the newspaper claimed that the attack is probably more devastating than that of November 3, 2011, which caused many deaths and the destruction of several buildings. The fighting lasted for hours, with the use of automatic weapons and explosive devices. Among the places attacked there is also the Governor’s residence. At the moment the news is still fragmentary and a toll of victims and material damage has not been writtenup. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 19/6/2012)
