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| Image Source: BBC |
Fighters from the
Islamist militant group Boko Haram have launched an attack on the key city of
Maiduguri, reports say.
BBC/Reuters/AFP report fierce
fighting is said to be taking place on the outskirts of the city as militants
attempt to enter it.
The
military is carrying out air strikes, and a curfew has been imposed.
Maiduguri
is home to tens of thousands of people who have fled Boko Haram attacks and was
visited on Saturday by President Goodluck Jonathan following an earlier visit on January 15.
Boko
Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa
language, launched military operations in 2009 to create an Islamic state.
Thousands
of people have been killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria.
'Pray for us'
Residents
of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, say they woke to sustained loud
explosions and gunshots.
Roads
and business have been closed by security forces.
The
attack appeared to have begun in the Njimtilo district on the edge of the city.
One
resident there, Rachel Adamu, told Reuters: "Please pray for us, we are in
danger, under serious attack now."
A
resident of the Moronti area, Buba Kyari, told AFP: "It
is flying bullets everywhere. All we hear are sounds of guns and explosions. A
rocket-propelled grenade hit and killed a person from my neighbourhood who was
fleeing into the city."
Defence sources have confirmed to media that the military are carrying out co-ordinated air
strikes and ground attacks against the insurgents.
Maiduguri
would be a major prize for Boko Haram, which last tried to take the city in
December 2013.
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