lennart
05-01-04, 20:26
Nigerians 'crush' Islamic uprising
An insurrection by Islamic militants in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Yobe has been ended by the police and army, say local officials.
However the BBC's Mato Adamu in Yobe says that clashes are continuing in some areas.
State Governor Bukar Ibrahim said many "Taleban-oriented radicals" seeking an Islamic state had been killed.
Reports suggest that at least one police officer also died.
The uprising began early last week when militants attacked police stations in a number of towns, burned buildings and stole large quantities of weapons.
At one state building they occupied, the militants pulled down the Nigerian flag and raised that of Afghanistan.
The violence reportedly ended at the weekend after hundreds of Nigerian soldiers were sent to a military camp run by the "Taleban" group near the border with Niger.
'Minimal support'
Our correspondent says that the group's leader is known as Mullah Omar, after the deposed leader of Afghanistan.
He has spoken to some of the fighters who were arrested in Niger, who deny that the group received any foreign support.
Twelve states in the Muslim-dominated north of the country, including Yobe, have introduced Islamic Sharia law since the end of military rule in 1999.
More than 10,000 people have died in religious and ethnic clashes since then.
Our correspondent says that the group has minimal support even among Muslims and the clashes have not led to increased tensions with the large Christian minority in the area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3368627.stm
An insurrection by Islamic militants in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Yobe has been ended by the police and army, say local officials.
However the BBC's Mato Adamu in Yobe says that clashes are continuing in some areas.
State Governor Bukar Ibrahim said many "Taleban-oriented radicals" seeking an Islamic state had been killed.
Reports suggest that at least one police officer also died.
The uprising began early last week when militants attacked police stations in a number of towns, burned buildings and stole large quantities of weapons.
At one state building they occupied, the militants pulled down the Nigerian flag and raised that of Afghanistan.
The violence reportedly ended at the weekend after hundreds of Nigerian soldiers were sent to a military camp run by the "Taleban" group near the border with Niger.
'Minimal support'
Our correspondent says that the group's leader is known as Mullah Omar, after the deposed leader of Afghanistan.
He has spoken to some of the fighters who were arrested in Niger, who deny that the group received any foreign support.
Twelve states in the Muslim-dominated north of the country, including Yobe, have introduced Islamic Sharia law since the end of military rule in 1999.
More than 10,000 people have died in religious and ethnic clashes since then.
Our correspondent says that the group has minimal support even among Muslims and the clashes have not led to increased tensions with the large Christian minority in the area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3368627.stm