Boko Haram insurgents killed at least six park rangers on
Tuesday in a reprisal attack after troops backed by helicopter gunships
destroyed their base in a Nigerian game reserve.
Security forces last week killed 17 militants and destroyed
two Boko Haram training camps in the northeast, one in a forest and one in the
Sambisa Reserve.
The officer in charge of the Sambisa Reserve, Hassan Malgwi,
said gunmen believed to be Boko Haram attacked the staff camp after midnight.
"Six people were killed. Many of our staff are still
missing as the camp is now deserted," he said.
Neither the military nor Boko Haram were available for
comment.
Boko Haram are seen as the most serious threat to the
stability of Nigeria, Africa's top energy producer, and Western governments
fear it could become a base for operations of al Qaeda-linked Islamist groups
in the Sahara.
Violence has persisted since a Boko Haram commander declared
a ceasefire last week, raising doubts about his credibility.
President Goodluck Jonathan has highlighted links between
Boko Haram and Saharan Islamists, including al-Qaeda's North African affiliate,
as a reason for joining efforts by French and West African forces to fight them
in Mali.
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