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The Nigerian military has stepped up operations against Boko Haram in the north.

Nigeria gunmen raid Damaturu city

Suspected Boko Haram militants have carried out attacks on the city of Damaturu in north-east Nigeria, residents and security sources say.

The assault on the city, the capital of Yobe state, began shortly after 5 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT).

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Gunshots and explosions were heard and a base of the riot police was reported to have been set on fire. Yobe State University also came under attack.

In Maiduguri city, twin blasts ripped through a busy market.

At least six people were killed and 32 wounded in the explosions at Monday market, a source at the local hospital told the BBC Hausa service.

Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state, and borders Yobe.

Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted the two states and a third, Adamawa, despite the fact that they are under a state of emergency.

A university student in Damaturu told BBC Focus on Africa he had been woken by the sound of explosions and had seen a large number of militants wearing military uniforms moving into the city.

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He said he and some other residents had since fled to the surrounding countryside.

A government official, who asked not to be identified, said: "It's chaos all over the town. All I can hear is explosions and gunfire from my house.

"I couldn't go out for morning prayers because this started before dawn and I'm afraid to leave in case I get caught up in it," he said.

The authorities have struggled to repel the militant Islamist group, which has been waging an insurgency since 2009. New York-based Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram has killed more than 2,000 civilians this year.

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On Friday, more than 100 people were killed in a gun and bomb attack on a mosque in the city of Kano.

Earlier this year, a suicide bomber in Damaturu targeted a crowd watching a televised World Cup football match, killing more than 20 people.

Credit: BBC

 

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