As Muslims all over the world get ready to share happy moments with loved ones to mark this year’s Eid-El’Kabir, Boko Haram, the dreaded Islamic sect, has threatened to mar the people’s merriment with blood.
Nigerian military on Tuesday claimed that militant outfit Boko Haram is receiving assistance from foreign militants in its fight against the Nigerian Army. According to Nigerian army spokesman, the insurgents were planning to strike in an embattled northeastern state during Eid-El-Kabir, typically called Sallah in Nigeria, which this year falls on October 25 and 26.
“Information available to the Joint Task Force indicates that the Boko Haram terrorists are planning to launch massive attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno state before, during and after the forthcoming Sallah celebrations,” Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement.
“The terrorists have invited foreign militant groups to assist them in the anticipated attacks,” Sagir said, but declined to comment on the nationalities of the alleged foreign fighters.
“We know where they are coming from but we don’t want to disclose that because we don’t want to pre-empt our security arrangement to tackle them”.
Violence linked to Islamist group Boko Haram’s insurgency in northern and central Nigeria, including killings by security forces, is believed to have left more than 2,800 people dead since 2009.
Boko Haram members are believed to have sought training in northern Mali from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its allies. There has been intense speculation over whether other links have been formed with foreign groups.
Nigeria’s military has claimed that insurgents from neighbouring Chad have previously fought alongside Boko Haram. Some security analysts say that Boko Haram regularly purchases weapons from markets in Chad and Niger.
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