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Suspected Boko Haram members kill 24 in northeast Nigeria, sources say

28 August 2013 02:19 (UTC +04:00)

The attacks took place in two different towns in the state of Borno in the northeast of the country, AFP quoted sources as saying on Tuesday.

In one attack, 18 people were killed in the town of Bama on Sunday while six others died 200 kilometers (124 miles) away in Damasak, the head town of the Mobbar Local Government Area on Monday.

Meanwhile, the phone lines and the Internet service remain cut in the region, making it difficult to get more information.

According to remarks by an official from Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency on Saturday, suspected members of the militant group attacked Dumba village in Borno on August 20 and killed 44 villagers by slitting their throats.

On May 15, the Nigerian army launched an offensive against Boko Haram in an attempt to put an end to the group’s attacks, which have claimed tens of lives only in the past week.

Boko Haram -- whose name means “Western education is forbidden” -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

Over the past four years, violence in the north of Africa’s most populous country has claimed the lives of 3,600 people, including killings by the security forces.