KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Britain's military said Sunday its warplanes recently spotted in Nigeria's capital were there to move soldiers to aid the French intervention in Mali — not to rescue foreign hostages kidnapped by a radical Islamic extremist group.
The extremist group called Ansaru partially blamed the presence of those planes as an excuse for killing seven foreign hostages, including British, Greek, Italian and Lebanese citizens.
While Nigerian authorities have yet to comment publicly about Ansaru's claim, it comes as the nation's security forces remain unable to stop the guerrilla campaign of bombings, shootings and kidnappings across the country's north.
Ansaru said it killed the hostages in part due to local Nigerian journalists reporting on the arrival of British military aircraft to Bauchi, the northern state where the abductions occurred.
[...] the attackers blew up a back fence at the construction company's compound and took over, killing a guard in the process, witnesses and police said.
The extremist group called Ansaru partially blamed the presence of those planes as an excuse for killing seven foreign hostages, including British, Greek, Italian and Lebanese citizens.
While Nigerian authorities have yet to comment publicly about Ansaru's claim, it comes as the nation's security forces remain unable to stop the guerrilla campaign of bombings, shootings and kidnappings across the country's north.
Ansaru said it killed the hostages in part due to local Nigerian journalists reporting on the arrival of British military aircraft to Bauchi, the northern state where the abductions occurred.
[...] the attackers blew up a back fence at the construction company's compound and took over, killing a guard in the process, witnesses and police said.
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