The latest atrocity from the Islamist Nigerian group Boko Haram was an attack on Benisheik, a predominantly Christian town in Borno State yesterday.
The jihadis attacked the Maiduguri-Damaturu road leading into the town,dragging people out of their vehicles and killing them, and the bodies are still being found:
Environmental officers yesterday recovered 87 more corpses of travelers killed by suspected Boko Haram gunmen during an attack on Maiduguri-Damaturu road near Benisheik town in Borno State on Tuesday.
This was in addition to 55 bodies earlier picked up on Wednesday, officials of the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) told journalists during a visit by Governor Kashim Shettima to the scene of the violence.
Heavily armed insurgents laid siege on Benisheik, Kaga Local Government Area on Tuesday evening, killing people and setting buildings ablaze.
They also blocked the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, three kilometers away from the town, sorting out and slaughtering dozens of travelers.
Apart from the 142 travelers, also killed in the attack were 2 soldiers, 3 policemen and 14 villagers,bringing the total death toll to 161.
The siege and the assaults on the main road are simple ethnic cleansing in action. Boko Haram wants to create an Islamist state in mostly Muslim North Nigeria, and allowing Christians to live in the area they want for their mini-caliphate doesn't fit the agenda. The jihadis reportedly quizzed their victims before killing them, letting Muslims go and killing only the kuffars, non-believers.
There were Nigerian soldiers who attempted to protect the town from the jihadis, but they were outgunned and soon ran out of ammo:
A soldier who spoke to correspondents in confidence said the insurgents had superior power.
"The terrorists were using anti-aircraft guns while we were using AK47 rifles and some RPGs. They came in droves, driving about 20 pick-up trucks accompanied with two light-armored tankers, all wearing military colors. We had to retreat to our base to reinforce after running out of ammunition," he said.
"However, they followed us down and surrounded our base and began to shell our building. We couldn't stand the heat of their superior fire power. We had to retreat into the village after they killed two of our soldiers and three policemen."
The soldier said after the siege, the insurgents took away an armoured tank and four pick-up vehicles painted in military colours from the base.
Sounds like Boko Haram mayhave gotten their hands on some Libyan arms from Khaddaffi's arsenals, courtesy of President Obama.
With the soldiers in retreat, the townspeople were left to the jihadis and the town was sacked.
State Governor Kashim Shettima, apparently a Muslim urged the residents to stay in Benisheik and not flee the town.
"What happened is barbaric and un-Islamic," he said. He's also promised emergency food supplies and announced the release of N50 million for the rebuilding of over 100 houses and shops burnt in the town.
That isn't convincing the remaining residents, many of whom are evacuating. Apparently they don't agree with Governor Shettima that this is 'un-Islamic'. They expect more of the same.
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