Nigeria's
army has vowed to continue its offensive against militants in the
north-east "as long as it takes" to achieve its main objectives.
Brig Gen Chris Olukolade told the BBC the aim was to assert Nigeria's "territorial integrity as a nation".
Earlier, a 24-hour curfew was imposed in parts of the city of
Maiduguri, where the military said it had arrested 65 "terrorists".
Maiduguri has been an important base for Boko Haram Islamist militants.
Earlier this week, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan
declared a state of emergency in three north-eastern states - Borno,
Adamawa, and Yobe - after a series of deadly attacks by militant groups.
Boko Haram: Timeline of terror
- 2002: Founded
- 2009: Hundreds killed when Maiduguri police stations stormed; leader Mohammed Yusuf captured and killed
- Dec 2010: Bombed Jos, killing 80 people; blamed for New Year's Eve attack on Abuja barracks
- Jun-Aug 2011: Bomb attacks on Abuja police HQ and UN building
- Dec 2011: Multiple bomb attacks on Christmas Day kill dozens
- Jan 2012: Wave of violence across north-east Nigeria
- April 2012: Deadly Easter church attack in Kaduna; This Day newspaper offices bombed
- February 2013: French family kidnapped in Cameroon
- May 2013: Heavily armed incursion into Bama town
Nigerian military spokesman Brig
Gen Olukolade said the army would continue its operation "as long as it
takes to achieve our objective of getting rid of insurgents from every
part of Nigeria".
He told the BBC World Service Newshour programme that the
offensive "knows the targets it is after, and it took a long time to
plan and prepare for this".
"It is their (insurgent) bases, their weaponry, their logistics that we are going to deal with in this operation," he added.
Earlier, an army statement named 12 areas of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, which would now be under permanent curfew.
Correspondents say the neighbourhoods listed are considered
strongholds of Boko Haram. The whole of Maiduguri was already subject to
an overnight curfew.
Witnesses said troops were stopping lorries from entering the city.
The army also said the 65 insurgents had been arrested trying
to infiltrate Maiduguri. Those held had been "fleeing from various
camps now under attack".
However, there has been no independent confirmation of the arrests.
The army said 10 suspected insurgents were killed in clashes
with troops in Maiduguri on Friday and weapons were seized including
rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Anti-aircraft fire
Nigerian war planes and helicopter gunships also attacked
several militant training camps in the north-east on Friday, officials
said.
One plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire but officials said it
had returned to base safely while the "terrorist base" was "completely
destroyed".
US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the Nigerian army
to show restraint and not violate human rights as it pursues the
militants.
Mr Kerry said there were "credible allegations" of "gross human rights violations" by the Nigerian military.
Last November, Amnesty International accused Nigeria's
security forces of carrying out widespread abuses in their campaign
against Boko Haram, including extra-judicial killings, enforced
disappearances and torture.
The BBC has also received reports of civilians fleeing remote
areas in Borno State and arriving in towns on the border with Cameroon.
Cameroon shares hundreds of miles of border with Nigeria and the area adjacent to Borno is considered porous.
Although Cameroon's security forces have stepped up security
in the region, a source told French radio that the government in Yaounde
had been given no advance warning of the Nigerian campaign.
More than 2,000 people have died in violence in Nigeria since 2010, most of which is blamed on Boko Haram.
The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden",
says its quest is to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an
Islamic state.
There has been growing concern that Boko Haram is receiving backing from al-Qaeda-linked militants in other countries.
BBC.
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