Nigeria eyes more arrests as Boko Haram splinter group leader heldApril 18, 2016 - 12:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Nigeria's security services have hailed the arrest of the leader of the Boko Haram splinter group Ansaru, Khalid al-Barnawi, saying it will lead to them to other senior Islamist commanders, AFP reports. "The arrest of Barnawi is a huge success and will have a profound effect on counter-terrorism operations in Nigeria and beyond," one security source told AFP. "He is a known transnational terrorist and the backbone of all Al-Qaeda affiliate groups in West Africa." Barnawi, designated a global terrorist by the United States since 2012, was detained on April 1 with three others in the Kogi state capital, Lokoja, and found with four Thuraya satellite phones. The phones "provided several leads" to "high-profile Boko Haram and Ansaru elements" in the capital, Abuja, Lokoja and the central city of Jos, said another source. "This has been our biggest breakthrough against terrorism in Nigeria ever," said a third. Barnawi is certainly a major prize for Nigerian intelligence, the Department of State Services (DSS), which called him "a trained terrorist commander" who also recruited for Al-Qaeda affiliates. He is accused of masterminding a string of kidnappings of Westerners between 2011 and 2013. Boko Haram has been pegged back by an aggressive fightback from the Nigerian military since January last year, losing territory and its capacity to mount conventional attacks. President Muhammadu Buhari has gone so far as to say the militants were "technically" defeated, even if suicide and bomb attacks have continued in northeast Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger. 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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |