At least 87 killed in Nigeria Boko Haram attackSeptember 20, 2013 - 11:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - At least 87 people were killed on Tuesday, September 19 in an attack by Boko Haram militants in the Nigerian state of Borno, Global Post said. "Eighty-seven bodies were recovered in the bush and our people are still searching for more," said Saidu Yakubu of the Environmental Protection Agency in northeastern Borno. The attackers disguised themselves in military uniforms and set up checkpoints outside of the town of Benisheik in order to shoot those trying to flee, witnesses told Agence France-Presse. They reportedly used "anti-aircraft guns" to shoot at locals from the 20 pickup trucks they used to drive into the town. Once there, they burnt down scores of homes and buildings. More from GlobalPost: Boko Haram leader: Burn schools, kill teachers, no ceasefire Borno state governor Kashim Shettima visited Benisheik on Thursday, calling the killings "barbaric and un-Islamic" and promising financial assistance for relatives of the victims, according to the BBC. Communication with Borno has been disrupted since the middle of May, when the state's phone network went down. At the time, Nigeria declared a state of emergency across most of the country's northeast, as it attempted to put a stop to Boko Haram's four-year insurgency with a military offensive. Benisheik was also the scene of clashes earlier this month, when five militants and 13 members of local vigilante groups were killed. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |