The
Nigeria Joint Military Task Force (JTF) on Tuesday said it had uncovered
a plot by Boko Haram Islamists to carry out “massive attacks” during an
upcoming Muslim festival with the help of foreign mercenaries.
A spokesman said the insurgents were
planning to strike in an embattled northeastern state during Eid-El-Kabir,
typically called Sallah in Nigeria, which this year falls on October 25 and 26.
“Information available to the Joint Task
Force indicates that the Boko Haram terrorists are planning to launch massive
attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno state before, during and
after the forthcoming Sallah celebrations,” Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said
in a statement.
Violence linked to Islamist group Boko
Haram’s insurgency in northern and central Nigeria, including killings by
security forces, is believed to have left more than 2,800 people dead since
2009.
Most of the violence has been in Borno
state, where Boko Haram has been based.
“The terrorists have invited foreign
mercenaries to assist them in the anticipated attacks,” Sagir said, but
declined to comment on the nationalities of the alleged foreign fighters.
“We know where they are coming from but we
don’t want to disclose that because we don’t want to pre-empt our security
arrangement to tackle them”.
The security forces have frequently
exaggerated their success in cracking down on Boko Haram and it was impossible
to verify their claims on Tuesday.
Boko Haram members are believed to have
sought training in northern Mali from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its
allies. There has been intense speculation over whether other links have been
formed with foreign groups.
Nigeria’s military has claimed that
insurgents from neighbouring Chad have previously fought alongside Boko Haram.
Some security analysts say that Boko Haram regularly purchases weapons from
markets in Chad and Niger.
The group has in the past carried out
deadly attacks during Christian and Muslim holidays.