NIGERIA:Schoolgirls accompanied by school staff were able to escape an attack by Boko Haram militants in the North Eastern town of Dapchi in Nigeria on Monday, witnesses say. The students were alerted to the arrival of militants after they opened fire and set off explosives outside the school. The Nigerian security forces responded by conducting a security operation forcing the militants to retreat. Local residents allege that Boko Haram militants had planned to kidnap the schoolgirls. Boko Haram has been an active insurgent group in North Eastern Nigeria for the past eight years, campaigning for the establishment of an Islamic state.

Source: Pakistan Today February 20, 2018 08:15 UTC