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'More than 40' killed in battle with Boko Haram in Nigeria | 'More than 40' killed in battle with Boko Haram in Nigeria |
(about 11 hours later) | |
More than 40 people have died during an attempt to free people during an ambush by militant Islamist group Boko Haram, sources have told the BBC. | |
At least five members of an oil exploration team were killed, a spokesman for the University of Maiduguri said. | At least five members of an oil exploration team were killed, a spokesman for the University of Maiduguri said. |
Soldiers and members of a vigilante group also died in the ambush. | Soldiers and members of a vigilante group also died in the ambush. |
The high number of casualties will be a blow for the government, which insists the insurgency is all but defeated. | The high number of casualties will be a blow for the government, which insists the insurgency is all but defeated. |
At least 20,000 people have been killed and thousands more abducted since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009. | At least 20,000 people have been killed and thousands more abducted since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009. |
In the most notorious abduction case, it seized 276 girls from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok in 2014. | In the most notorious abduction case, it seized 276 girls from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok in 2014. |
It has since freed more than 100 of the girls, in exchange for the release of its fighters detained by Nigeria's security forces. | It has since freed more than 100 of the girls, in exchange for the release of its fighters detained by Nigeria's security forces. |
'Death toll mounting' | 'Death toll mounting' |
Details of what happened on Tuesday remain unclear, with initial reports from the army suggesting the abducted geologists and surveyors, who worked at the University of Maiduguri, had been rescued. | Details of what happened on Tuesday remain unclear, with initial reports from the army suggesting the abducted geologists and surveyors, who worked at the University of Maiduguri, had been rescued. |
On Tuesday, the army said the bodies of nine Nigerian soldiers and a civilian had been recovered. | On Tuesday, the army said the bodies of nine Nigerian soldiers and a civilian had been recovered. |
But now the university has said at least five members of staff, including two academics and a driver, were killed when the heavily armed convoy made its way back to Maiduguri, in north-east Nigeria. | But now the university has said at least five members of staff, including two academics and a driver, were killed when the heavily armed convoy made its way back to Maiduguri, in north-east Nigeria. |
Several others remain missing. | Several others remain missing. |
"We got the impression our staff on the team were rescued because that was what the military spokesman said yesterday," Maiduguri University spokesman Dani Mamman said, quoted by AFP. | "We got the impression our staff on the team were rescued because that was what the military spokesman said yesterday," Maiduguri University spokesman Dani Mamman said, quoted by AFP. |
"But we were shocked when we were given four dead bodies. This means it wasn't a rescue. We still have other staff that are yet to be accounted for." | "But we were shocked when we were given four dead bodies. This means it wasn't a rescue. We still have other staff that are yet to be accounted for." |
Sources told the BBC that more than 40 people, most of them soldiers and volunteers from a vigilante group, had been killed in total - although other sources suggest the number killed may rise further still. | Sources told the BBC that more than 40 people, most of them soldiers and volunteers from a vigilante group, had been killed in total - although other sources suggest the number killed may rise further still. |
"The death toll keeps mounting," a source told AFP, adding: "More bodies are coming in." | "The death toll keeps mounting," a source told AFP, adding: "More bodies are coming in." |