Nigerian troops fight Boko Haram in key city of Maiduguri

Nigerian troops today fought pitched battles with Boko Haram in the restive northeastern city of Maiduguri, a day after President Goodluck Jonathan visited and again promised an end to the insurgency.
Soldiers backed by heavy weaponry and fighter jets deployed after a dawn raid on the nearby village of Jintilo that prompted the authorities to put the entire city on lock-down.
Fears have been growing about a possible strike on Maiduguri since Islamist militants began seizing towns and villages in three northeast states about six months ago.
On January 3, they captured the fishing hub of Baga, in the far north of Borno State, which security analysts said put them in a better position to strike south to hit the state capital.

Hundreds of people, if not more, are feared dead in the massive attack, which also forced tens of thousands of people to flee, many of them to the town of Monguno 65 kilometres south of Baga.
Others fled to Maiduguri, where many of the hundreds of thousands of displaced have sought sanctuary from the relentless wave of attacks and abductions.

Last week, hundreds more fled four villages about 40 kilometres south of Baga after a warning from the militants, indicating a clear plan to push south.
Nigeria's military announced news of the raid on its Twitter account, saying: "Troops are repelling a simultaneous attack on Monguno and Maiduguri by terrorists."

Troops were on the ground with air support, while a curfew had been imposed on the embattled city, which has been repeatedly attacked since 2009, it added.