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Nigeria Boko Haram: Militants 'close to defeat' - Buhari Nigeria Boko Haram: Militants 'technically defeated' - Buhari
(about 9 hours later)
The Nigerian military is close to completely defeating Islamist Boko Haram militants, President Muhammadu Buhari has told the BBC. Nigeria has "technically won the war" against Islamist Boko Haram militants, President Muhammadu Buhari says.
He said the militants could no longer mount conventional attacks against security forces or population centres. He told the BBC that the militant group could no longer mount "conventional attacks" against security forces or population centres.
"I think, technically, we have won the war," he said. It had been reduced to fighting with improvised explosives devices (IED) and remained a force only in its heartland of Borno state, he said.
The president has given the army until the end of the month to defeat Boko Haram, whose six-year insurgency has devastated north-eastern Nigeria. Boko Haram has been described as one of the world's deadliest terror groups.
But the BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi in the capital, Abuja, says that the deadline is likely to be extended as Boko Haram is still bombing areas despite losing towns under its control. The group's six-year insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria has led to the deaths of some 17,000 people, destroyed more than 1,000 schools and displaced more than 1.5 million people.
President Buhari has given the army until the end of this year to defeat the group - a deadline that is likely to be extended as Boko Haram is still bombing some areas despite losing towns under its control.
Critics of the government argue that it has exaggerated the scale of its success against the militants, and that each time the army claims to have wiped out Boko Haram, the militants have quietly rebuilt.Critics of the government argue that it has exaggerated the scale of its success against the militants, and that each time the army claims to have wiped out Boko Haram, the militants have quietly rebuilt.
The insurgency is said to have killed some 17,000 people and left more than two million homeless. But President Buhari told the BBC that the jihadists had been forced to cut back on suicide bombings as a result of the military action against them.
The jihadists have been forced to cut back on suicide bombings as a result of the military action against them, President Buhari said. "Boko Haram has reverted to using improvised explosive devices (IEDs)," he said. "Indoctrinating young guys... they have now been reduced to that.
"Boko Haram has reverted to using improvised explosive devices (IEDs)," he said. "They have now been reduced to that." "But articulated conventional attacks on centres of communication and populations.. they are no longer capable of doing that effectively.
"Boko Haram is an organised fighting force, I assure you, [but] we have dealt with them." "So I think technically we have won the because people are going back into their neighbourhoods."
He said the militants had all but been driven out from Adamawa and Yobe states and remained a force only in its heartland of Borno state. He said the militants had all but been driven out from Adamawa and Yobe states.
"They cannot now marshal forces and attack towns or attack military installations and so on as they did before. The government's biggest problem now, he said, was to rebuild infrastructure and help all displaced people to return to their homes.
"I don't think this is mad talking." "But Boko Haram as an organised fighting force, I assure you, that we have dealt with them," he said.
The president said that Nigeria had reorganised and reequipped the military. which had received training from the British, the Americans and the French. Mr Buhari also said that Nigeria had reorganised and reequipped the military, which had received training from the British, the Americans and the French.
"A lot is being done," he said.
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Why Boko Haram remains a threatWhy Boko Haram remains a threat