BREAKING NEWS:Soldiers flee as Boko Haram invades Borno town

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News reaching firstclass newsline says that suspected Boko Haram sects
have forced hundreds of soldiers to leave Marte, a border town along
the shores of Lake Chad, a local official and witnesses said.
"The sects, numbering over 2,000, appeared from various directions on
Thursday and engaged the soldiers in Kirenowa town and adjoining
communities in Marte," said Imamu Habeeb, a local community leader.
"They battled the soldiers over the night and the fight continued
today (Friday), forcing hundreds of soldiers to flee," he added from
Borno State capital, Maiduguri.
Local fighter Shehu Dan Baiwa said the more than 2,000 fighters had
been armed with bombs and tanks.
"They used the weapons without restraint and succeeded in killing
several people," he said.
This is the third time Boko Haram has seized control of Marte in
restive Borno State, a key battleground of their six-year insurgency,
which has killed more than 13,000 and left 1.5 million persons
homeless.
The city is among several retaken in recent weeks by Nigeria's
military, which has launched an offensive against the Islamists as
part of a regional operation supported by Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
But Boko Haram have been fighting back, and unconfirmed reports said
the soldiers were forced to retreat from Boko Haram's Sambisa Forest
stronghold this week after a landmine blast killed one soldier and
three vigilantes.
A senior local politician confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that
the insurgents had retaken Marte.
"We lost many (people) because some of our people that fled to Chad
and Cameroon have returned after troops recovered the town recently,"
he added.
A senior military official confirmed the attack on Marte, but refused
to say whether Boko Haram had retaken the town.
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