Latest news with #ISWAP
Daily Tribune
6 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Jihadists kill 15 farmers, children in hunger-stalked northeast Nigeria: sources
Email : editor@ IS-affiliated militants killed over a dozen farmers and children in a gun attack and mine explosion in Nigeria's northeast Borno state, the epicentre of jihadist conflict, two anti-jihadist militia members said yesterday. Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) opened fire on a group of farmers and children riding in an open van and a motorised rickshaw outside Gurnowa, a village near the garrison town of Monguno on Thursday, the militias said. Separately, a woman farmer and her three children fleeing the area died when their wooden cart hit a landmine planted by the jihadists near the attack scene before they withdrew, the militia said. 'Our men have evacuated 11 bodies to Monguno while another team has left to bring the woman and her three children,' said Babakura Kolo, an anti-jihadist militia leader assisting the military in fighting the jihadists in the region. The 11 were returning to Monguno after working on their farms when they were attacked by the jihadists, said Ibrahim Liman, another member of the militia who gave the same toll. The insurgents made off with the van and the rickshaw of the slain farmers, the two militia said. 'The woman and her three children had abandoned their farm on hearing gunshots and were heading back to Monguno when the cart they were pushing rolled over an explosive buried by the terrorists, killing them all,' Liman said. From the images of the 11 victims seen by a reporter, most were shot in the head, including two females and two children. Gurnowa, five kilometres (three miles) from the military-fortified town of Monguno, has been deserted for years following jihadist attacks, with its inhabitants forced to seek shelter in makeshift camps in Monguno.
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
IS-linked fighters kill 15 farmers, children in northeast Nigeria
The 16-year conflict in northeast Nigeria has killed more than 40,000 people. (Boko Haram/AFP pic) KANO : IS-affiliated fighters killed over a dozen farmers and children in a gun attack and mine explosion in Nigeria's northeast Borno state, the epicentre of extremist conflict, two anti-extremist militia members told AFP today. Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) opened fire on a group of farmers and children riding in an open van and a motorised rickshaw outside Gurnowa, a village near the garrison town of Monguno yesterday, the militias said. Separately, a woman farmer and her three children fleeing the area died when their wooden cart hit a landmine planted by the extremists near the attack scene before they withdrew, the militia said. 'Our men have evacuated 11 bodies to Monguno while another team has left to bring the woman and her three children,' said Babakura Kolo, an anti-extremist militia leader assisting the military in fighting the jihadists in the region. The 11 were returning to Monguno after working on their farms when they were attacked by the extremists, said Ibrahim Liman, another member of the militia who gave the same toll. The insurgents made off with the van and the rickshaw of the slain farmers, the two militia said. 'The woman and her three children had abandoned their farm in hearing gunshots and were heading back to Monguno when the cart they were pushing rolled over an explosive buried by the terrorists, killing them all,' Liman said. From the images of the 11 victims seen by an AFP reporter, most were shot in the head, including two females and two children. Gurnowa, 5km from the military fortified town of Monguno, has been deserted for years following extremist attacks, with its inhabitants forced to seek shelter in makeshift camps in Monguno. Monguno, 140km north of the regional capital Maiduguri, houses tens of thousands of internally displaced people, who fled their homes to escape the violence and live in sprawling camps under military protection. The United Nations says more than a million people will face hunger in northeastern Nigeria amid resurgent extremist attacks, huge cuts in foreign aid and a spiralling cost of living. The 16-year conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced more than two million from their homes, according to the UN.
Observer
7 days ago
- Observer
Fighters kill 15 farmers, children in northeast Nigeria
KANO: IS-affiliated fighters killed over a dozen farmers and children in a gun attack and mine explosion in Nigeria's northeast Borno state, the epicentre of a fighter conflict, two members said. Fighters from IS West Africa Province (ISWAP) opened fire on a group of farmers and children riding in an open van and a motorised rickshaw outside Gurnowa, a village near the garrison town of Monguno on Thursday, the militias said. Separately, a woman farmer and her three children fleeing the area died when their wooden cart hit a landmine planted by the fighters near the attack scene before they withdrew, the leader said. "Our men have evacuated 11 bodies to Monguno while another team has left to bring the woman and her three children", said Babakura Kolo, a leader assisting the military in fighting in the region. The 11 were returning to Monguno after working on their farms when they were attacked by the fighters, said Ibrahim Liman, another member of the group who gave the same toll. The insurgents made off with the van and the rickshaw of the slain farmers, the two leader said. "The woman and her three children had abandoned their farm in hearing gunshots and were heading back to Monguno when the cart they were pushing rolled over an explosive buried by the terrorists, killing them all", Liman said. From the images of the 11 victims seen by a reporter, most were shot in the head, including two females and two children. Gurnowa, five kilometres from the military fortified town of Monguno, has been deserted for years following fighter attacks, with its inhabitants forced to seek shelter in makeshift camps in Monguno. Monguno, 140 km north of the regional capital Maiduguri, has been barricaded for the past four years to ward off attacks. — AFP
Al Arabiya
01-08-2025
- Al Arabiya
Extremists kill 15 farmers, children in northeast Nigeria: Sources
IS-affiliated militants killed over a dozen farmers and children in a gun attack and mine explosion in Nigeria's northeast Borno state, the epicenter of extremist conflict, two anti-extremist militia members told AFP Friday. Fighters from IS West Africa Province (ISWAP) opened fire on a group of farmers and children riding in an open van and a motorized rickshaw outside Gurnowa a village near the garrison town of Monguno on Thursday, the militias said. Separately, a woman farmer and her three children fleeing the area died when their wooden cart hit a landmine planted by the extremists near the attack scene before they withdrew, the militia said. 'Our men have evacuated 11 bodies to Monguno while another team has left to bring the woman and her three children,' said Babakura Kolo, an anti-extremist militia leader assisting the military in fighting the extremists in the region. The 11 were returning to Monguno after working on their farms when they were attacked by the extremists, said Ibrahim Liman, another member of the militia who gave the same toll. The insurgents made off with the van and the rickshaw of the slain farmers, the two militia said. 'The woman and her three children had abandoned their farm in hearing gunshots and were heading back to Monguno when the cart they were pushing rolled over an explosive buried by the terrorists, killing them all,' Liman said. From the images of the 11 victims seen by an AFP reporter, most were shot in the head, including two women and two children. Gurnowa, five kilometers (three miles) from the military fortified town of Monguno, has been deserted for years following extremist attacks, with its inhabitants forced to seek shelter in makeshift camps in Monguno. Monguno, 140 km north of the regional capital Maiduguri, houses tens of thousands of internally displaced people, who fled their homes to escape the violence and live in sprawling camps under military protection. The United Nations says more than a million people will face hunger in northeastern Nigeria amid resurgent extremist attacks, huge cuts in foreign aid and a spiraling cost of living. The 16-year conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced more than two million from their homes, according to the UN.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘You have 7 days…': Months after Jharkhand migrant's abduction in Niger, friend receives a chilling message
Last month, Ajay Kumar from Dondlo village in Jharkhand's Giridih district allegedly received a text message that made his blood run cold. 'Hello…I believe you are related to Rajukumar who was abducted in Niger Republic,' the text message said. 'He, with 4 others. Unfortunately, they were abducted by ISWAP fighters. They reached out to me to pass a message to you. Ur braza gave them ur numba.' It didn't take Ajay very long to figure out what this was. His friend Rajkumar Mahto was among five migrant workers from Jharkhand's Giridh who were abducted by armed gunmen in the Tillaberi region of the West African country of Niger on April 25. Among those abducted was a Niger national. The text also had asked Ajay to contact 'a negotiator' at the Nigeria-based non-profit Kalthum Foundation for Peace. 'He (Rajkumar Mahto) is a childhood friend and has only my phone number memorised,' Ajay, himself a migrant worker employed with a Dubai-based company, told The Indian Express. Then, on July 2, just as he approached authorities and was figuring out how to act, he allegedly got the second — and more chilling — message. 'You have 7 days to act or your relatives — all the 5 persons — will be history,' it read. 'What is needed is known to you.' The escalatory tone of the second message scared him, Ajay said. By then, he had already reached out to social activist and All Jharkhand Student Union leader Sanjay Mehta for help. He also approached the Embassy, which said it would 'act on it'. 'He [Mehta] drafted a formal negotiation request to the foundation, which I then forwarded to the unknown sender,' he said. On his part, Mehta confirmed that Ajay had reached out to him. 'When we contacted them [the Kalthum Foundation], they said they could only act if authorised by Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff. We informed the MEA and sent a formal request, but the problem is that the abduction occurred in Niger, and the foundation can't operate there without permission,' Mehta said. When contacted, Jharkhand's Labour Commissioner Ravi Ranjan Kumar Vikram confirmed that they were aware of the messages that Ajay had received. 'We are drafting a letter based on the incident, which will be sent to the Government of India,' he said. 'We are also approaching the Chief Minister's office immediately and will be sending a letter. Our team members are in continuous touch with the Indian embassy'. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
