Boko Haram Rebels: Nigerian Military Offensive Is Failing

Reinforcements … soldiers arrive in Yola, north-east Nigeria, as part of the latest government offensive against Boko Haram. Photograph: Reuters

Boko Haram Rebels Say Nigerian Military Offensive Is Failing -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The leader of Boko Haram Islamist rebels has said in a video that the Nigerian military offensive is failing in its goal of crushing the four-year-old insurgency.

Abubakar Shekau's statement, in a video seen by Reuters on Wednesday, was the first word from Boko Haram since President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on May 14 in the three northeastern states worst hit by the insurgency.

Thousands of extra troops were sent to the region and Boko Haram camps were hit with air strikes. The military has since claimed that insurgents have been halted.

The intervention followed a surge in violence in Nigeria's northeast by Boko Haram, which wants to establish an Islamic state there, but Shekau denied he was losing the battle.

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More News On Nigeria's War Against Boko Haram

Boko Haram Chief Says Nigerian Offensive Failing -- Voice of America
Boko Haram claims victories over military -- iol News
Nigeria’s Boko Haram claims victories over military -- Al Arabiya
Nigerian army says kills three Islamists in Boko Haram crackdown -- Reuters
Nigeria: Government winning war on terror -- The Africa Report
US urges Nigeria to safeguard human rights in Boko Haram fight -- The Guardian
Boko Haram Bounces Back -- Dawit Giorgis, National Interest
Carrots and Sticks in Nigeria -- John Campbell, Council On Foreign Relations