Nigeria military lifts phone blackout in northern state

Nigeria's military today approved the restoration of phone services in a northeastern state where troops are pursuing Islamist insurgents, signalling an improving security situation there.
"The defence headquarters has authorised the restoration of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) services in Adamawa state," a statement said.
The phone blackout remains in place however for two other states in the region, Borno and Yobe.
All three were placed under a state of emergency in May ahead of a sweeping army offensive against Boko Haram Islamists, with the military shutting down mobile networks to block the militants from communicating.
The army said the phones could be turned back on in Adamawa given the "positive indications" about the security situation there.

Adamawa has suffered fewer attacks than Borno and Yobe during Boko Haram's insurgency, which has left roughly 3,600 dead since 2009, including killings attributed to the security services.
While details of the ongoing military offensive are to verify, Adamawa is believed to have seen relatively little fighting.
Boko Haram violence has, however, persisted in Borno and Yobe.