Nigeria army's offensive to continue "as long as it takes"
19 May 2013 Last updated at 04:57
Nigeria's army has vowed to continue its offensive against militants in the north-east "as long as it takes" to achieve its main objectives.
Brig Gen Chris Olukolade told theBBC the aim was to assert Nigeria's "territorial integrity as a nation".
Earlier, a 24-hour curfew was imposed in parts of the city of Maiduguri, where the military said it had arrested 65"terrorists".
Maiduguri has been an important base for Boko Haram Islamist militants.
Earlier this week, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency inthree north-eastern states - Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe - after a series of deadly attacks by militant groups.

Nigerian military spokesman Brig Gen Olukolade said the army would continue its operation "as long as it takes to achieve our objective of getting rid of insurgents from every partof Nigeria".
He told the BBC World Service Newshour programme that the offensive "knows the targets it isafter, and it took a long time to plan and prepare for this".
"It is their (insurgent) bases, their weaponry, their logistics that we are going to deal with inthis operation," he added.
Earlier, an army statement named 12 areas of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, which would now be under permanentcurfew.
Correspondents say the neighbourhoods listed are considered strongholds of Boko Haram. The whole of Maiduguri was already subject to an overnight curfew.
Witnesses said troops were stopping lorries from entering the city.
The army also said the 65 insurgents had been arrested trying to infiltrate Maiduguri. Those held had been "fleeing from various camps now under attack".
However, there has been no independent confirmation of thearrests.
The army said 10 suspected insurgents were killed in clasheswith troops in Maiduguri on Friday and weapons were seizedincluding rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

Nigerian war planes and helicopter gunships also attacked several militant trainingcamps in the north-east on Friday, officials said.
One plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire but officials saidit had returned to base safely while the "terrorist base" was"completely destroyed".
US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the Nigerian army to show restraint and not violate human rights as it pursues the militants.
Mr Kerry said there were"credible allegations" of "gross human rights violations" by the Nigerian military.
Last November, Amnesty International accused Nigeria's security forces of carrying out widespread abuses in their campaign against Boko Haram, including extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.
The BBC has also received reports of civilians fleeing remote areas in Borno State and arriving in towns on the border with Cameroon.
Cameroon shares hundreds of miles of border with Nigeria andthe area adjacent to Borno is considered porous.
Although Cameroon's security forces have stepped up security in the region, a source told French radio that the government in Yaounde had been given no advance warning of the Nigerian campaign.
More than 2,000 people have died in violence in Nigeria since 2010, most of which is blamed on Boko Haram.
The group, whose name means"Western education is forbidden", says its quest is to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state.
There has been growing concern that Boko Haram is receiving backing from al-Qaeda-linked militants in other countries.

http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22584765

Supported. Till all d bokoharam members are flush out 4rm naija.

oddy4real:
ok

must you quote all just to write OK? agbaya

supported

it should take as long as it takes

this is a battle of will and resolve and we should be able to tell terrorists

"you can not outlast us!"

GO JTF!!!

No going back until Boko Haram is pounded, granulated and dissolved into abyss.

If that's what will bring peace and stop their insurgence...

Make una carry go!

oddy4real:
ok

Must you quote the op to write just ok

Best of luck for him who has staked his neck on cutting table for others to live. Up Nigerian military.

The boko haram has done more than enough the surpose to to cleared from this country.Sleeping with my ak47 as my pillow

My problm is not how long it takes but the peace of neighouring peaceful states. What is government doing to ensure dat neighouring states are not infiltrated by BH?

no end to the war against bh until they ve been brought down to their knees

What a good news


As long as innocent civilians are not killed, the boko harams should be wiped out!!!


They've shedded so many blood for them to be left alive!!


F0ols

Kill the cockroaches. #

Hmmm

Its silly to think a deployment of the military can bring peace to the region. America, with its frightful military machinery, have been in Afghanistan for a decade now yet the fighting has not stopped.

cogitoErgo: My problm is not how long it takes but the peace of neighouring peaceful states. What is government doing to ensure dat neighouring states are not infiltrated by BH?

The government can only do so much without the support of the civilian populace.

Crotalus: Its silly to think a deployment of the military can bring peace to the region. America, with its frightful military machinery, have been in Afghanistan for a decade now yet the fighting has not stopped.
Boko Haram are not a regular army. What happens if they up the ante and deploy their suicide bombers in the six geo political zones and bombs start going off in Lagos, Abuja or Prot Harcout. Let's not forget their possibly affiliated to Al Qaeda, Al Shabab and the Taliban. Would we declare a state of emergency in the entire country? Highly unlikely!
In my opinion, this use of force against an asymmetrical force is wrongheaded. I don not believe Boko Haram are faceless. Too many of their operatives - both high and low ranking - have been arrested for that. Intelligence and a targeted approach should be used, like what the US is doing in Yemen with its drone strikes.

Nigeria is not Europe! Boko Haram can not sustain consistent attacks outside the North. The moment a BH bomb goes off in the East every Hausa looking man will go through unimaginable security checks even from members of the public. Trust me it is not that easy! (Every Nigerian looks in a certain way and speaks with an accent!)

The reason the current campaign is necessary is that Boko Haram had taken over some communities in the North East. It is necessary to recapture those communities and protect our boarders.

I recognise that the next pahse of the war might mean that Boko Haram no longer has a base anywhere in Nigeria but launches gorrilla attacks. Well if it gets to that point the Government will respond.

But I think recapturing the communities under BH control right now is necessary. the Next phase will be to secure our boarders and create a counter terror unit able to launch targeted attacks on any terrorists within our boarder.

Go go Johnny boy, kill all dem bast++ds , no mercy 4dem

Human right my foot. When Isreali missiles hit a civilian building in lebanon during the war against hezbollah that killed hundreds of women and children, what did this human right watch do? Syria is suspected to be using chemical weapons against the rebels, they haven't done anything. Na now them wan flex muscle with nigeria? God pass una. JTF abeg kill any suspected person, we are solidly behind you.

Mhn

This Kerry man should not get me pissed oh. What human right do people who intend to islamise a whole nation have?

These idiots whose rights you want to protect don't even want their rights protected. They are suicidal, demented people, wreaking havoc and destroying lives. Its ok for you to sit your pat a$$ down there in DC and be asking that the rights of a bunch of killers be protected.

We already asked that our southern and eastern brothers return to home so we will fight this to the finish.

Before anyone says anything, I'm a northerner too.

This is a fight to the finish. We must flush out them fawktard suicidal shitheads.

#Go Nigerian Army, go JTF!

They've (the Northerners) held us down for donkey years, yet they couldn't do the needful - liberate their poor people! They do know how to incite their nomads to kill innocent Southerners, may the Good God of Heaven continue to visit their iniquities upon them for the innocent blood they shed! God bless Goodluck Jonathan, the New Nigerian Army and the good people of Nigeria!

for your mind u be comedian

call him what u like but he is still the GCFR, my best advice is use the nearest transformer and relieve yourself