Nigerian army attacks Islamists
18/04/2007| IslamWeb
The Nigerian army has launched an offensive to evacuate armed Islamic militants from the outskirts of the northern city of
Army spokesman Col Ibrahim Yusuf says soldiers have killed 25 militants whom he claims may not be Nigerian.
Police say the militants came to avenge the assassination of a radical Islamic cleric shot dead last Friday.
The unrest adds to rising tension, with opposition parties demanding Saturday's presidential election be postponed.
In a statement on Tuesday night, 18 of the main parties also threatened to boycott the poll unless several of their conditions were met.
Their demands include the annulment of last weekend's state polls described by the opposition as a "sham", and the disbanding of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).
However, Inec lawyer Joe-Kyari Gagzama said the election could not legally be delayed after a high court ruling two weeks ago.
"There's no appeal against that judgment."
He also said the tenure of most of those in office is expiring on 29 May and he said Nigerians would be better focusing on security and other pressing issues rather than the polls.
Fleeing
The BBC's Alex Last in Panshekara where Islamists, known as the Taleban, hold an area of the town, says heavy shooting started at dawn and residents began fleeing.
The army has cordoned off the area and has been engaging heavily armed Islamic militants holed up near the nearby waterworks.
The militants arrived in the area on Tuesday and attacked a police station killing 13 people.
Police and residents say they number up to 300, including women and children.
Our correspondent says it is very rare for this kind of attack to take place in northern
A few years ago, radical students from a university in north eastern
In the end, many were killed by the army.
But the fact is whoever these militants are, this incident just adds to the feeling of insecurity in a country already wracked by political turmoil over disputed elections, our reporter says.
Protest calls
The opposition parties called for a postponement of Saturday's presidential elections after lengthy talks in the capital,
In the statement, they demanded the "total voiding" of the 14 April state elections and the complete disbandment and reconstitution of
The opposition parties also urged Nigerians to "protest in a non-violent manner these sham elections so far held, and to resist further elections under the current structure".
The opposition said the electoral commission was under the control of outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The opposition coalition includes Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former military head of state Muhammadu Buhari.
They are regarded as the main challengers to Umaru Yar'Adua - the governing party's presidential candidate.
Apart from attempting to discredit the elections, many observers question what the opposition would achieve by boycotting.
There has been a worrying spate of violence, including killings, in the run-up to the polls.
Many Nigerians fear further violence on Saturday, which should lead to the first handover of power in
President Obasanjo is standing down after two terms in office.
Photo caption
Police in