Battle of Maiduguri (2013)

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Battle of Maiduguri
Part of Boko Haram insurgency
DateDecember 2, 2013
Location
Maiduguri International Airport and other areas, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria
Result Nigerian victory
Belligerents
Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria Islamic State flag.svg Boko Haram
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Abubakar Shekau
Strength
Unknown 200
Casualties and losses
2+ injured (per Nigeria) 24+ killed (per Nigeria)
Dozens of civilians killed

On December 2, 2013, Boko Haram militants raided the city of Maiduguri, attacking the Maiduguri International Airport and several other sites within the city.

Contents

Background

Boko Haram emerged in 2009 as a jihadist social and political movement in a failed rebellion in northeast Nigeria. [1] Throughout the following years, Abubakar Shekau unified militant Islamist groups in the region and continued to foment the rebellion against the Nigerian government, conducting terrorist attacks and bombings in cities and communities across the region. [2] Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, had been attacked several times by the militants due to being the largest city in northeast Nigeria. In 2009, over 1,000 civilians were killed in Boko Haram attacks on the city. [3]

Battle

At 3am on the night between December 1 and 2, 2013, around 200 Boko Haram militants attacked a Nigerian air and ground military base near the Maiduguri Airport. [4] Several other police and military posts in the city were targeted as well. [5] The attackers also set fire to shops and gas stations on the outskirts of the city. [6] Nigerian officials said that at least 24 militants were killed in the attack, along with an unknown number of civilians. [7] [8] Three planes and two helicopters were destroyed during fighting at the airport. [7] Two air force personnel were injured as well. [7] Locals reported that bodies were in the streets with their throats slit, and several buildings had been razed by bombings. [5]

Following the battle, the attackers retreated eastward. The Nigerian military then cut off all contact between Maiduguri and the rest of the world for 24 hours, severing telephone lines. [7] [9] Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the attack on December 12. [10] [11]

Aftermath

On January 14, 2014, over thirty people were killed by a car bomb planted by Boko Haram in Maiduguri. [12]

References

  1. ↑ Walker, Andrew (2016-02-04). "Join us or die: the birth of Boko Haram". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  2. ↑ "Nigeria unrest: 'Boko Haram' gunmen kill 44 at mosque". BBC News. 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  3. ↑ Gorman, George (2009-07-31). "Nigerian Taliban leader killed in custody". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  4. ↑ "Updated timeline of Boko Haram attacks and related violence - Nigeria | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  5. 1 2 "Nigeria crisis: Boko Haram attack Maiduguri airbase". BBC News. 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  6. ↑ "Nigeria: couvre-feu total dans le fief de Boko Haram" (in French). 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Cameroon-Info.Net:: Nigeria: Le Boko Haram lance une vaste attaque à Maiduguri". archive.wikiwix.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  8. ↑ "Boko Haram attacks an air base in Nigeria". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  9. ↑ "Nigeria: couvre-feu à Maiduguri, fief de la secte islamiste Boko Haram". RFI (in French). 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  10. ↑ "Nigeria Boko Haram Crisis Escalates in 2013". Voice of America. 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  11. ↑ "Nigeria: Boko Haram revendique l'attaque contre la base militaire de Maiduguri - Koaci Infos". KOACI. Archived from the original on 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  12. ↑ "Deadly car bomb strikes Nigeria's Maiduguri". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
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