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| Africa Subsaharan | |
| Nigerian Army Sacks Delta Community | |
| 2009-05-21 | |
| Troops on Tuesday intensified their offensive against Okerenkoko, another community in Delta State, razing down all buildings in the all-out confrontation against militants intent on making life impossible in the Deep South. Community leaders said over 200 homes in Okerenkoko, the second largest settlement after Oporoza in Gbaramatu Kingdom, were left desolate by the Joint Task Force (JTF). The soldiers came at about midday from the air and waterways, bombing and shooting before going into the community to set it ablaze. Prominent leaders like Bello Oboko confirmed the attack by the military forces that have held sway in the area for five days. But he could not establish if there were still people in the community which had come under attack at the weekend. They had fled before the latest offensive, and now wonder what the troops are still looking for. JTF Spokesman, Rabe Abubakar, confirmed in a statement that "in continuation of the search and rescue operations in some militants hideouts, the (JTF) has moved into the outskirts of some communities where suspected militants are hiding and still holding expatriates kidnapped last week hostage. "What we are doing today is an extension of the operations we started five days ago and our aim is to rescue expatriates kidnapped and get rid of criminals in various communities in the Niger Delta. Our actions are based on credible information about certain places where we know that these miscreants are hiding and not on the whole communities as they claim." Abubakar urged indigenes of communities infested by militants to assist the JTF with timely and accurate information. "You know these people and they live with you. To avoid the innocent being inconvenienced, we call on all of you to aid in the extradition of these miscreants for your safety and interest."
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| Posted by:Steve White |