The Nigerian military has stepped up its campaign against Boko Haram and destroyed many of its training camps [Xinhua]
Boko Haram fighters burned down the village of Zango in the northeastern Nigerian state of Yobo, local officials said on Thursday, even as US intelligence reports warned of a closer connection between the African extremist group and the Islamic State.
At least 11 people were killed in the attack, security forces said.
A similar attack a week earlier killed 20 in nearby villages, police said.
According to local media, the Boko Haram fighters infiltrated the village on horseback, not their signature pick-up trucks.
Nigerian officials say that a year-long military campaign, in conjunction with a West African drive against Boko Haram, has significantly depleted the terrorist group’s resources.
With US and UK backing, five West African nations which border Lake Chad – Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger – formed a united military force to defeat Boko Haram.
While Boko Haram has lost territory in the northeastern regions it once dominated, it has not lost its capacity to launch deadly attacks.
On Wednesday, its fighters launched a deadly attack into Cameroonian territory killing three of that country’s security personnel and three civilians.
The US, which has increased its training and delivery of military assistance to Nigeria and its West African allies, earlier this week warned that Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have increased collaboration in recent months.
Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIL just last year.
US officials say they have evidence that ISIL fighters in Libya have been dispatching arms and ammunition truck convoys to the Lake Chad area where Boko Haram has been active.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
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