Nigerian soldiers battling Islamic insurgents escape roadside bomb

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted on the roadside and targeted at a patrol of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) battling the Boko Haram in Nigeria's northern city of Maiduguri went off Sunday before the patrol got there, according to JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa.

''It is true that we had a blast along Bama road in the early hours on Sunday. The truth is that there was no casualty,'' Musa told journalists in the city that is widely regarded as the spiritual base of the Islamic sect, which has killed over 1,500 since 2009.

A similar blast last Monday caused the death of three JTF personnel, with over 30 civilians reportedly killed in the reprisal by the military. Musa denied the killings.
-0- PANA SEG 14Oct2012