Boko Haram' attack villages near Nigeria's Chibok
Chibok, Nigeria, 29 Jun - (AnA) - Four villages in north-eastern Nigeria have been attacked by suspected Boko Haram militants who targeted at least one church. Some unconfirmed reports say 40 civilians and 6 insurgents were killed as militants and vigilantes clashed. It is the latest assault on villages near Chibok, the town where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in April. Hundreds of villagers have been killed in similar attacks in the region by Boko Haram in recent months. A state of emergency is in force in northern Nigeria because of the group's increasingly violent campaign to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state. Attacks in the Chibok area eight days earlier were feared to have left dozens of villagers dead. Bows and arrows An eyewitness said Kautikari village, a short distance from Chibok, was almost deserted, with bodies of civilians and Boko Haram fighters on the streets. The insurgents were there for at least four hours, setting fire to homes and shooting sporadically. Vigilantes armed with bows and arrows and hunting rifles have been trying to defend the village from such attacks. One of the survivors said some 20 men arrived in a pick-up truck and on motorbikes, Reuters reported. "Initially I thought they were military but when I came out, they were firing at people. I saw people fleeing and they burned our houses," Samuel Chibok was quoted as saying. "Smoke was billowing from our town as I left." (ANA)

FA/ANA/29 June 2014---------