Nigerian troops on new offensive against Islamists

        
Nigeria launched a military campaign on Wednesday to flush Islamist militants out of bases in its border areas after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the northeast.         

Nigerian troops moved into the region in large numbers, part of a plan to rout an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist group that has seized control of significant parts of the region.           

"The operations, which will involve massive deployment of men and resources, are aimed at asserting the nation's territorial integrity and enhancing the security of ... all territories within Nigeria's borders," a statement from Defense Headquarters said.            

Residents and Reuters reporters saw army trucks carrying soldiers enter Yola and Maiduguri after Jonathan declared the emergency on Tuesday in three states - Borno, Adamawa and Yobe - following attacks by Boko Haram militants.             

The insurgency has cost thousands of lives and  destabilized Africa's top energy producing nation since it began in 2009. Boko Haram have targeted the security forces, Christian worshippers and politicians in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north.          

The troop deployment is likely to placate some of Jonathan's critics, who had accused him of not facing up to the gravity of the crisis, although some northern politicians have already voiced concerns over the ratcheting up of tensions.          

It is also unclear whether greater military might can win a battle against an adversary that has proved a master at melting away under pressure, only to re-emerge again elsewhere.         

Military officials in the northeast and at headquarters in the capital Abuja were not immediately available for comment.          

A Reuters reporter saw six trucks carrying soldiers enter Yola, the capital of Adamawa state. In the Borno state capital Maiduguri, the biggest city in the area and birthplace of the insurgency, residents also reported an influx of troops.             

The mood was tense in that city. Shops were mostly shut and there were few people on the streets. Schools were closed.           

"What I saw this morning scared me," said one man in Maiduguri, Ahmed Mari. "I have never seen soldiers on the move quite like this before."          

Another, Kabir Laoye, voiced widespread fears that civilians could be caught up in the conflict: "There is a lot of apprehension about the state of emergency," he said.               

Jonathan announced the move in a televised address on Tuesday.


REUTERS