Written By Unknown on Senin, 19 Januari 2015 | 12.27
Suspected Boko Haram fighters have abducted up to 80 people, many of them children, in a deadly assault on villages in northern Cameroon, officials say.
"According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted," a senior army officer deployed to northern Cameroon told news agency Reuters.
That would make it Boko Haram's largest abduction in Cameroon to date.
The raid targeted a number of villages near the border with Nigeria
Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary confirmed that three people were killed in the attack on Sunday, which targeted the village of Mabass and several others along the Nigerian border.
He said soldiers had intervened and exchanged fire with the assailants for around two hours.
Video:Terror Group's Deadliest Attack
He added that up to 80 houses were destroyed.
The assault comes just days after Amnesty International released satellite images of "catastrophic" Boko Haram attacks on two towns in Nigeria.
It believes hundreds of people were killed and that over 3,700 structures were either damaged or destroyed in the attacks in Baga and neighbouring Doron Baga earlier this month.
Video:Dec: Girl Refuses To Detonate Bomb
The campaign group said the pictures, taken on 2 and 7 January, provided "indisputable and shocking evidence" of the scale of the assaults.
The Islamist organisation was also responsible for the kidnap of more than 200 teenage girls from a school in the northern Nigerian town of Chibok in last April.
Boko Haram has been fighting a bloody six-year insurgency to create an Islamic state which has left thousands dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
Video:27 Oct: Abducted Girls Speak Out
Attacks are increasing in frequency as Boko Haram continues to seize territory in northern Nigeria, and expands its insurgency across the border.
Chadian troops began to arrive in Cameroon in Sunday in order to help repel the extremists' offensive.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has written to over 1,000 Islamic leaders in Britain urging them to do more to root out extremists and stop young Muslims being radicalised.
In the letter, Mr Pickles stressed he was "proud" of the way Muslims in Britain had responded to the terror attacks in Paris, but there was "more work to do".
There are fears about the spread of terrorism after the Paris attacks that left 17 people dead and the arrest of more than two dozen people in anti-terror raids in Belgium, Germany and France.
Mr Pickles insisted Whitehall could not combat jihadist ideology alone and Imams must explain to young people what it means to be British.
"You, as faith leaders, are in a unique position in our society. You have a precious opportunity, and an important responsibility: in explaining and demonstrating how faith in Islam can be part of British identity," he said in the letter, also signed by communities minister Lord Ahmad.
Video:Pickles Defends 'Snooping' Laws
"We believe together we have an opportunity to demonstrate the true nature of British Islam today.
"There is a need to lay out more clearly than ever before what being a British Muslim means today: proud of your faith and proud of your country.
"We know that acts of extremism are not representative of Islam; but we need to show what is."
Mr Pickles also sought to reassure the leaders that he had been in touch with police chiefs "to make sure they are providing the support that mosques need" - a concern that some imans expressed in recent discussions.
Video:Lord Ashdown On Terror Threat
But the letter immediately drew criticism from some Islamic leaders.
Harun Khan, deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "We will be writing to Mr Eric Pickles to ask that he clarifies his request to Muslims to 'explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam can be part of British identity'.
"Is Mr Pickles seriously suggesting, as do members of the far right, that Muslims and Islam are inherently apart from British society?"
The letter emerged as the Metropolitan Police announced it had increased security around its buildings and bolstered numbers of firearms officers available.
Video:Cameron On Islamic State Fight
Home Secretary Theresa May also promised to up the Government's efforts to tackle the terrorist threat and a "chilling" rise in anti-Semitism.
Speaking at an event to commemorate the Jewish people who died during the Paris massacre, she said: "Britain would not be Britain" without Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and people of other faiths.
"I know that many Jewish people in this country are feeling vulnerable and fearful and you're saying that you're anxious for your families, for your children and yourselves.
"I never thought I would see the day when members of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom would say they were fearful of remaining here in the United Kingdom."
Video:'Important Discussions' On Terror
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and his US counterpart John Kerry are set to host talks in London on Thursday with ministers from around 20 countries, including Arab states, to discuss ways of tackling Islamic State.
:: Lord Ahmad, the co-author of the letter, will be speaking to Sky News at around 8.30am this morning. Watch Sky News on skynews.com and our mobile apps, or on channels Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 18 Januari 2015 | 12.27
Members of the coalition fighting Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq are due to meet for a summit in London on Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Secretary of State John Kerry are expected to host talks with ministers from about 20 countries, including the Arab states.
They will discuss the progress of the fight against Islamist militants who have taken control of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The meeting will take place at Lancaster House in central London, according to an official.
It comes as Prime Minister David Cameron gave an interview to the American network CBS in which he spoke about measures to tackle extremism at home.
Video:Cameron And Obama On Terror Threat
Mr Cameron said Britain is facing a "very severe threat" from Islamist extremists, including so-called "lone wolf" terrorists.
"In Britain's history, we've had some very intense times of terrorist threats," he said.
"Certainly we face a very severe threat. That's what we're calling it: severe, because we believe an attack is highly likely.
"But frankly, we've been in this struggle against extremist, Islamist terrorism now for well over a decade and a half, so we know what it takes to win, but it's going to take a lot of perseverance."
He said the terror threat "keeps morphing" over time.
Video:'Important Discussions' On Terror
"This threat keeps morphing, because it's the same fundamental problem, extremist Islamist terror," he said.
"But whereas the majority of it was coming from the Afghanistan, Pakistan area, now you see more of it coming out of Iraq and Syria, and the threat posed by ISIL.
"Added to that, you've got the so‑called 'self‑starter' or 'lone wolf' terrorists, people who've been radicalised because of what they've seen on the internet who... may not be connected to some plot that is being hatched in Iraq or Syria.
"So the threat has changed and altered, but it's still based on the fundamental problem of a poisonous death cult narrative which is the perversion of one of the world's major religions.
"And that's the thing we're still up against."
Video:Another Paris 'Is Possible'
Earlier Mr Cameron vowed to tackle what he called the "poisonous narrative of Islamist extremism that is turning too many young minds".
He was speaking following two days of talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington where they said a new group would be set up to exchange information and expertise to tackle the terror threat.
There are fears about the spread of terrorism after the Paris attacks that left 17 people dead and the arrest of more than two dozen people in anti-terror raids in Belgium, Germany and France.
On Saturday an 18-year-old woman who was arrested at Stansted airport on suspicion of terrorist offences was released on bail.
Anti-terror officers arrested the teenager when she arrived on a flight at around 4pm on Friday.
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded on both sides of the Channel
Eurotunnel services have resumed after thousands of passengers were left stranded on both sides of the Channel due to a lorry fire.
Services were stopped after the vehicle caught fire on the French side of the railway's north tunnel on Saturday.
The incident led to long queues at St Pancras station as services were cancelled. Similar delays and queues also took place in Paris.
A Eurotunnel spokesman said services resumed at 2.45am UK time.
Passenger service Eurostar says it plans to run a full service today, but only "for passengers who have an existing reservation for this date".
1/7
Gallery: Travel Chaos In London And Paris
This is the scene at St Pancras International station in London as Eurostar services are cancelled in both directions
The company said trains would not be running on Saturday
]]>
Large queues of passengers have formed - but they are being told they will be unable to travel
]]>
It is a similar scene at Gare du Nord station in Paris - this board shows all services have been cancelled
]]>
Passengers are having to make alternative arrangements
]]>
Trains are expected to be delayed by between 30 minutes and an hour.
The company added that people whose trains were cancelled on Saturday are advised not to arrive at stations unless they had already been re-booked.
A Eurostar spokesman said: "All passengers who are booked to travel tomorrow, Sunday 18 January, should check in as normal half an hour before departure.
"Eurostar services tomorrow are already very busy and availability is limited."
Eurotunnel spokesman earlier John O'Keefe said a "smouldering load" was found in the trailer of the lorry.
The alarm was triggered after CO2 detectors were activated in one tunnel, Eurotunnel said.
Video:Passengers Hit By Eurostar Alert
A Kent Police spokesman said: "A lorry fire has led to the closure of both bores of the Channel Tunnel.
"The fire was at the French end of the tunnel and is being dealt with by the French authorities. There are no reported injuries."
In March, hundreds of Eurostar passengers were delayed after a lightning strike triggered a fire in a building close to the entrance to the tunnel in Kent.
Although there was no damage to the track, four trains in and out of England were affected.
Three eventually reached their destination but the fourth, which had been heading to Paris, was forced to turn back to London.
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
UK To Host Summit To Tackle Islamic State'
Indonesia: Foreigners Executed By Firing Squad
Murdered Artist: Police To Begin DNA Screening
Baby Found On Fire In Residential Street
Qatar Migrant Worker Claims 'A Dirty Game'
Eurotunnel Services Resume After Lorry Fire
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded on both sides of the Channel
Eurotunnel services have resumed after thousands of passengers were left stranded on both sides of the Channel due to a lorry fire.
Services were stopped after the vehicle caught fire on the French side of the railway's north tunnel on Saturday.
The incident led to long queues at St Pancras station as services were cancelled. Similar delays and queues also took place in Paris.
A Eurotunnel spokesman said services resumed at 2.45am UK time.
Passenger service Eurostar says it plans to run a full service today, but only "for passengers who have an existing reservation for this date".
1/7
Gallery: Travel Chaos In London And Paris
This is the scene at St Pancras International station in London as Eurostar services are cancelled in both directions
The company said trains would not be running on Saturday
]]>
Large queues of passengers have formed - but they are being told they will be unable to travel
]]>
It is a similar scene at Gare du Nord station in Paris - this board shows all services have been cancelled
]]>
Passengers are having to make alternative arrangements
]]>
Trains are expected to be delayed by between 30 minutes and an hour.
The company added that people whose trains were cancelled on Saturday are advised not to arrive at stations unless they had already been re-booked.
A Eurostar spokesman said: "All passengers who are booked to travel tomorrow, Sunday 18 January, should check in as normal half an hour before departure.
"Eurostar services tomorrow are already very busy and availability is limited."
Eurotunnel spokesman earlier John O'Keefe said a "smouldering load" was found in the trailer of the lorry.
The alarm was triggered after CO2 detectors were activated in one tunnel, Eurotunnel said.
Video:Passengers Hit By Eurostar Alert
A Kent Police spokesman said: "A lorry fire has led to the closure of both bores of the Channel Tunnel.
"The fire was at the French end of the tunnel and is being dealt with by the French authorities. There are no reported injuries."
In March, hundreds of Eurostar passengers were delayed after a lightning strike triggered a fire in a building close to the entrance to the tunnel in Kent.
Although there was no damage to the track, four trains in and out of England were affected.
Three eventually reached their destination but the fourth, which had been heading to Paris, was forced to turn back to London.
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 17 Januari 2015 | 12.27
David Cameron and Barack Obama have announced joint plans to fight "the poisonous ideology" of Islamist extremists.
Speaking after two days of talks at the White House, the leaders said they are setting up a new group to exchange information and expertise to tackle the terrorist threat.
"We face a poisonous and fanatical ideology that wants to pervert one of the world's major religions, Islam, and create conflict, terror and death. With our allies, we will confront it wherever it appears," Mr Cameron said at a news conference with Mr Obama.
Mr Obama described Mr Cameron as a 'great friend' and 'outstanding partner'
"We know what we are up against. And we know how we will win."
The announcement comes amid fears about the spread of terrorism after last week's Paris attacks that left 17 people dead and the arrest of more than two dozen people in anti-terror raids in Belgium, Germany and France.
Video:Cameron And Obama On Terror Threat
Mr Obama said the attacks in France "underscored again how terrorist groups like al Qaeda and ISIL (Islamic State) are actively trying to inspire and support people within our own countries to engage in terrorism."
"We both recognise that intelligence and military force alone is not going to solve this problem so we are also going to keep working together on strategies to counter violent extremism that radicalises, recruits and mobilises people, especially young people, to engage in terrorism," the President said.
Mr Obama also suggested that European countries needed to make sure their Muslim populations were better "assimilated".
Video:Obama: Cameron 'A Great Friend'
"The US has one big advantage in this whole process ... our Muslim populations, they feel themselves to be Americans," he said.
"And there is, you know, this incredible process of immigration and assimilation that is part of our tradition - that is probably our greatest strength."
Mr Cameron had arrived in Washington with a request for the President to help persuade American technology companies to give governments more access to encrypted communications that terrorists may use to plot attacks.
Video:PM: No 'Safe Space' For Terrorists
"As technology develops, as the world moves on, we should try to avoid the safe havens that could otherwise be created for terrorists to talk to each other," Mr Cameron said at the news conference.
"We're not asking for back doors" to access electronic communications, Mr Cameron said.
"We believe in very clear front doors through legal processes that should help to keep our country safe."
Video:Terror Raids Across Europe
The Prime Minister's policy proposals have caused concern on both sides of the Atlantic about the prospect of security efforts encroaching on privacy.
Mr Obama did not take a position on Mr Cameron's proposal, but said it was important to be able to keep tabs on terrorists' use of the internet and social media.
"When we have the ability to track that, in a way that is legal, conforms with due process, rule of law and oversight, then that's a capability we have to preserve," Mr Obama said.
Video:Will PM's Encryption Plans Work?
The two leaders also agreed to stage cyber "war games" and establish a joint "cyber cell" to boost both countries' resistance to hack attacks.
And there was also time for them to once again express their admiration for one another.
The President paid tribute to Mr Cameron as a "great friend" and "outstanding partner", while Mr Cameron said the President was a "good friend" who shared the "same values".
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Rabbi Moshe Sebbag with Sky's David Bowden in the Grand Synagogue
By David Bowden, Senior News Correspondent
The rabbi of Paris's biggest synagogue has said thousands of Jews will flee France in the wake of last week's terror attacks.
Moshe Sebbag, from the vast and ornate Grand Synagogue in the French capital, says there is likely to be a mass flight to safety if the terror threat does not diminish.
He said: "Yes I think there will be a big exodus, it's a fact, you can't ignore it.
"Already this year its estimated 7,000 will leave for Israel, but after what's happened I know that everybody, or a lot of people are looking for a way out."
Sabine is one of them. She fears the Jews in France face a threat not seen since the days of the Nazis and the Second World War.
1/5
Gallery: Inside Paris' Grand Synagogue
The Grand Synagogue was opened to the general public in 1875
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pays a visit to the synagogue. Pic: Alain Azria
]]>
Known as La Victoire synagogue, it is the largest in France
]]>
One of the benches inside the synagogue
]]>
]]>
She has three sons, the youngest of which is seven years old.
She dreamt he was killed by a terrorist who snatched him at gunpoint and has told all of her boys not to have anything that marks them out as Jewish on show in public.
She said: "I went with my son to school (non denominational) and I said to him, if someone arrives to kill people don't say that you are Jewish, never."
Video:'I'm Worried About My Children'
Sabine is already researching the possibility of buying a home in Israel, in case she determines it's too dangerous to stay in France.
She has told her older sons not to consider any higher education courses in Europe, instead advising them to study in Canada, Australia or Israel.
Sabine is not a particularly observant Jew and does not live in a Jewish enclave in Paris, but she is very apprehensive about what the future holds.
Video:Soldiers Guard Paris Jewish Schools
She added: "As a Jew living in Paris I feel very, very frightened. I think they wanted that and they succeeded in that."
A week after four Jewish men were killed at a kosher supermarket, Jews were back in the shops stocking up on provisions for the Sabbath, once again, though this time with soldiers on the street.
How many more times will those same people buy their goods from a French delicatessen before they deem it too dangerous to live in France at all?
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
UK And US Announce Joint Anti-Terror Plans
Four Killed In Anti-Charlie Hebdo Protests
Pope Cuts Short Visit To Typhoon-Hit Tacloban
Snow Warning As Sub-Zero Temperatures Bite
Search Launched In Durham For Missing Student
Rabbi Predicts Jewish Exodus From France
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Rabbi Moshe Sebbag with Sky's David Bowden in the Grand Synagogue
By David Bowden, Senior News Correspondent
The rabbi of Paris's biggest synagogue has said thousands of Jews will flee France in the wake of last week's terror attacks.
Moshe Sebbag, from the vast and ornate Grand Synagogue in the French capital, says there is likely to be a mass flight to safety if the terror threat does not diminish.
He said: "Yes I think there will be a big exodus, it's a fact, you can't ignore it.
"Already this year its estimated 7,000 will leave for Israel, but after what's happened I know that everybody, or a lot of people are looking for a way out."
Sabine is one of them. She fears the Jews in France face a threat not seen since the days of the Nazis and the Second World War.
1/5
Gallery: Inside Paris' Grand Synagogue
The Grand Synagogue was opened to the general public in 1875
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pays a visit to the synagogue. Pic: Alain Azria
]]>
Known as La Victoire synagogue, it is the largest in France
]]>
One of the benches inside the synagogue
]]>
]]>
She has three sons, the youngest of which is seven years old.
She dreamt he was killed by a terrorist who snatched him at gunpoint and has told all of her boys not to have anything that marks them out as Jewish on show in public.
She said: "I went with my son to school (non denominational) and I said to him, if someone arrives to kill people don't say that you are Jewish, never."
Video:'I'm Worried About My Children'
Sabine is already researching the possibility of buying a home in Israel, in case she determines it's too dangerous to stay in France.
She has told her older sons not to consider any higher education courses in Europe, instead advising them to study in Canada, Australia or Israel.
Sabine is not a particularly observant Jew and does not live in a Jewish enclave in Paris, but she is very apprehensive about what the future holds.
Video:Soldiers Guard Paris Jewish Schools
She added: "As a Jew living in Paris I feel very, very frightened. I think they wanted that and they succeeded in that."
A week after four Jewish men were killed at a kosher supermarket, Jews were back in the shops stocking up on provisions for the Sabbath, once again, though this time with soldiers on the street.
How many more times will those same people buy their goods from a French delicatessen before they deem it too dangerous to live in France at all?
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 16 Januari 2015 | 12.27
Belgian police have killed two men in a fierce gunfight - foiling a major and imminent terror attack in the country, according to authorities.
They died in the eastern town of Verviers during one of 10 raids as part of an investigation into Islamist extremists returning from fighting in Syria.
As police closed in near a train station, the suspects opened fire with automatic weapons and there was an intense shootout for several minutes before the pair were killed, said a prosecutor.
Members of the Belgian security forces at the scene of the incident
Eric Van Der Sypt also said no officers or civilians were hurt in the raid on an upper level of a building.
He said: "The suspects immediately and for several minutes opened fire with military weaponry and handguns on the special units of the federal police before they were neutralised."
Video:'Suspects Opened Fire At Police'
He said police buildings were the target and an attack had been expected in hours or days.
One person, who was reportedly badly injured in the raid, was arrested.
Belgium's public broadcaster RTBF said the operation was on an apartment above a bakery and explosions and gunfire were heard near the train station.
The website of La Meuse newspaper quoted an unidentified police officer as saying: "We've averted a Belgian Charlie Hebdo."
The French satirical magazine was attacked last week by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi who killed 12 people.
But Mr Van Der Sypt said there was, for the time being, no direct connection to the Paris attacks.
He said more anti-terrorist raids were taking place in the Brussels region and Verviers, adding that Belgium's terror alert level was raised to its second-highest level
1/6
Gallery: Belgian Police Target Returning Jihadists
Forensic officers work in the rain on Rue de la Colline in Verviers, eastern Belgium
Belgian police shot dead two suspects in a huge operation against jihadists who had returned from Syria and planned an imminent attack
David Cameron has said terrorists should be denied a "safe space" to communicate with each other ahead of talks in the US.
The Prime Minister, who is in Washington to meet President Obama and discuss the need to intercept internet communications and the setting up of a joint cyber "cell" to defeat cyber attacks, said there was a "broad agreement" between the US and UK.
An unprecedented amount of intelligence co-operation and information sharing between the two nations is expected to be announced at the talks.
He said: "We shouldn't leave a safe space in which terrorists can communicate with each other.
"There is a broad agreement that we need to have powers, in extremis, to intercept communications between terrorists. That is what America does today. It is what Britain does today.
Video:Sept 2014: British Jihadis Report
"We share the intelligence and information between us and this has saved countless lives, not just in Britain and America but in other countries as well.
"We must go on sharing that information, both acting under our own legal systems, the legal system in America is different to the one here."
A cyber cell of British and American intelligence agents will be created to defeat online attacks in a deal set to be struck between the PM and Mr Obama.
Under the plans GCHQ and MI5 would join with the National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI to create a rolling programme of simulated war games involving attacks on the City and Wall Street to test their resilience.
It comes after a report by GCHQ warned warned that British companies are under attack by hackers, criminal gangs and foreign intelligence services.
President Obama is strengthening the US response to cyberattacks in the wake of the hack on Sony Pictures.
Earlier this week, Mr Cameron said he wanted to give the security services access to encrypted communications online, which are used by social media companies such as WhatsApp and Snapchat.
Video:Terrorists On Twitter
However, reservations were voiced in the US.
Andrew McLaughlin, former internet adviser to President Obama, said: "Slow hand clap for David Cameron, whose proposal to ban encrypted COMMS (leaving UK wide open to hacking, spying etc) is colossally stupid."
A White House spokesman also stressed the need to balance security with a right to privacy, and the importance of keeping a "functioning relationship" with internet companies.
However, Mr Cameron said: "We face the same challenge in Britain and in America.
"We are free countries, free societies where we don't want to interfere with the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens but, in extremis, it has always been necessary, after going through the proper processes, to make sure that if terrorists are talking to each other or communicating with each other and are about to commit an outrage, it's always been necessary to try and intercept that and try to stop those bombs, those attacks, those murders taking place."
Mr Cameron said the British system had "huge safeguards against intrusion" into privacy.
He added: "I believe the British public will back me when I say that we shouldn't allow terrorists to talk to each other without being able, in extremis, with a warrant from the Home Secretary signed personally by her, to intercept those calls."
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 15 Januari 2015 | 12.27
Images Are 'Shocking' Proof Of Boko Haram Attacks
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
One of the before and after images of Doron Baga
Satellite images of the "catastrophic" attacks on two towns in Nigeria by Boko Haram militants have been released by Amnesty International.
The campaign group says the pictures, taken on 2 and 7 January, provide "indisputable and shocking evidence" of the scale of the assaults on Baga and neighbouring Doron Baga.
It believes hundreds of people were killed and that over 3,700 structures were either damaged or destroyed in the attacks.
Residents who escaped the attack on Baga
Other nearby towns and villages in north-eastern Borno state were also targeted by the Islamists between 3 and 7 January.
"These detailed images show devastation of catastrophic proportions in two towns, one of which was almost wiped off the map in the space of four days," said Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty.
1/6
Gallery: Boko Haram Attack Nigerian Town
Satellite images released by Amnesty International today provide indisputable and shocking evidence of the scale of last week's attack on the towns of Baga and Doron Baga by Boko Haram militants
Image of Baga taken on 7 January which shows many thatch roof structures have been razed. The dark colour represents burned areas, while the red indicates healthy vegetation
]]>
Satellite image of dense housing in Doro Baga taken on 7 Jan 2015, following an attack by Boko Haram
]]>
This image show over 620 structures damaged or destroyed predominantly located in the southern portion of Baga
]]>
Shows an example of the densely packed structures and tree cover in Doro Baga before the village was razed by Boko Haram
]]>
"Of all Boko Haram assaults analysed by Amnesty International, this is the largest and most destructive yet. It represents a deliberate attack on civilians whose homes, clinics and schools are now burnt out ruins."
Approximately 620 structures were damaged or destroyed by fire in Baga, a densely-populated town less than two square kilometres in size.
In Doron Baga, which is also known as Doro Gowon and is around four square kilometres, over 3,100 structures were either damaged or burnt.
Many of the wooden fishing boats along the shoreline, visible in the images taken on the 2 January, are no longer present in the 7 January photos.
Video:1 Nov: Schoolgirls 'Married Off'
This tallies with eye witnesses' testimony that many terrified residents fled to safety in boats across Lake Chad.
A man in his fifties told Amnesty: "I saw maybe around 100 killed at that time in Baga. I ran to the bush. As we were running, they were shooting and killing."
Other witnesses described how Boko Haram drove into the bush rounding up women, children and the elderly.
A woman who was detained for four days said: "(They) took around 300 women and kept us in a school in Baga. They released the older women, mothers and most of the children after four days but are still keeping the younger women."
Video:27 Oct: Abducted Girls Speak Out
Boko Haram fighters have repeatedly targeted communities for their perceived collaboration with Nigeria's security forces.
Towns that formed state-sponsored militia groups known as the Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) have suffered particularly brutal attacks.
Since 2009 Amnesty says thousands of people have been killed, hundreds abducted and hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes by Boko Haram.
It is calling on Nigeria's security forces to do more to protect civilians and for the group's "war crimes and crimes against humanity" to be "duly investigated".
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
Sex Case Teacher's Sentence To Be Reviewed
Gales To Hit UK As Storm Rachel Sweeps In
Yosemite Free Climbers Reach El Capitan Summit
Children 'Trafficked' Around UK To Sell Drugs
Doctors Call For Guantanamo Detainee's Release
Images Are 'Shocking' Proof Of Boko Haram Attacks
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
One of the before and after images of Doron Baga
Satellite images of the "catastrophic" attacks on two towns in Nigeria by Boko Haram militants have been released by Amnesty International.
The campaign group says the pictures, taken on 2 and 7 January, provide "indisputable and shocking evidence" of the scale of the assaults on Baga and neighbouring Doron Baga.
It believes hundreds of people were killed and that over 3,700 structures were either damaged or destroyed in the attacks.
Residents who escaped the attack on Baga
Other nearby towns and villages in north-eastern Borno state were also targeted by the Islamists between 3 and 7 January.
"These detailed images show devastation of catastrophic proportions in two towns, one of which was almost wiped off the map in the space of four days," said Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty.
1/6
Gallery: Boko Haram Attack Nigerian Town
Satellite images released by Amnesty International today provide indisputable and shocking evidence of the scale of last week's attack on the towns of Baga and Doron Baga by Boko Haram militants
Image of Baga taken on 7 January which shows many thatch roof structures have been razed. The dark colour represents burned areas, while the red indicates healthy vegetation
]]>
Satellite image of dense housing in Doro Baga taken on 7 Jan 2015, following an attack by Boko Haram
]]>
This image show over 620 structures damaged or destroyed predominantly located in the southern portion of Baga
]]>
Shows an example of the densely packed structures and tree cover in Doro Baga before the village was razed by Boko Haram
]]>
"Of all Boko Haram assaults analysed by Amnesty International, this is the largest and most destructive yet. It represents a deliberate attack on civilians whose homes, clinics and schools are now burnt out ruins."
Approximately 620 structures were damaged or destroyed by fire in Baga, a densely-populated town less than two square kilometres in size.
In Doron Baga, which is also known as Doro Gowon and is around four square kilometres, over 3,100 structures were either damaged or burnt.
Many of the wooden fishing boats along the shoreline, visible in the images taken on the 2 January, are no longer present in the 7 January photos.
Video:1 Nov: Schoolgirls 'Married Off'
This tallies with eye witnesses' testimony that many terrified residents fled to safety in boats across Lake Chad.
A man in his fifties told Amnesty: "I saw maybe around 100 killed at that time in Baga. I ran to the bush. As we were running, they were shooting and killing."
Other witnesses described how Boko Haram drove into the bush rounding up women, children and the elderly.
A woman who was detained for four days said: "(They) took around 300 women and kept us in a school in Baga. They released the older women, mothers and most of the children after four days but are still keeping the younger women."
Video:27 Oct: Abducted Girls Speak Out
Boko Haram fighters have repeatedly targeted communities for their perceived collaboration with Nigeria's security forces.
Towns that formed state-sponsored militia groups known as the Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) have suffered particularly brutal attacks.
Since 2009 Amnesty says thousands of people have been killed, hundreds abducted and hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes by Boko Haram.
It is calling on Nigeria's security forces to do more to protect civilians and for the group's "war crimes and crimes against humanity" to be "duly investigated".
A former religious studies teacher who walked free from court after being convicted of repeatedly having sex with a 16-year-old pupil is to have his sentenced reviewed.
Stuart Kerner, 44, of Aylesford, Kent, was given a suspended 18-month sentence by Judge Joanna Greenberg QC at Inner London Crown Court.
Jurors heard the victim was "obsessed" with him and that he took her virginity on a yoga mat on the floor of a store room at Bexleyheath Academy in the same week his wife miscarried their second child.
He also drove her to his home where they had sex, kissed and cuddled.
Kerner was found guilty last month of two counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) tweeted: "AGO have received complaints about Stuart Kerner's sentence and will consider whether to refer to Court of Appeal under ULS (unduly lenient sentences) scheme.
"Stuart Kerner's sentence will be considered. Decision due by 11 February."
The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was at the sentencing on Wednesday.
Judge Greenberg described her as an "intelligent and manipulative" girl who had been known to make up far-fetched stories.
But she said the teenager was also young and vulnerable and Kerner was in a position of trust.
She said: "The law demands that you are the responsible adult and that you show restraint, and we know that you failed to do so."
Kerner's name will go on the sex offenders' register. The court heard his wife has been sent on enforced leave from her job.
He was cleared of four other counts of the same offence, and acquitted of two counts of sexual activity with a child which related to alleged behaviour when the victim was 15.
Edward Ellis, defending, said that on the night the jury gave its verdict Kerner was in such a state of shock that mental health specialists were called in.
In a video interview with police, played in court, the victim said: "It felt special. But, I dunno, it wasn't really. And admitting that does kind of hurt."
Jon Brown, of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said: "Teachers have a duty of care to their pupils and Kerner should have taken steps to distance himself from the girl rather than encouraging her behaviour."
