Abuja, February 21 (RHC), -- Boko Haram Islamist terrorists have attacked two villages in northeastern Nigerian Borno state, killing at least 30 people.  The militants stormed the villages of Thlaimakalama and Gatamarwa, some 15 kilometers from the town of Chibok, and set them on fire, according to Pogo Bitrus, head of the Chibok Elders Forum.

“From information coming in from residents of the two villages at least 30 people were killed in the attacks,” he said.  Luka Haruna, a Chibok resident, also gave the same death toll saying that “the two villages were completely destroyed.”

Chibok gained notoriety last April when Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from their secondary school.  Last Monday, the Boko Haram militants invaded two villages on their way as they fled the nearby town of Askira Uba.

“The insurgents mowed everything in sight as they fled Askira Uba and these two villages which they passed through became targets,” Bitrus said, adding: “They opened fire on residents and set houses on fire as they drove in a huge convoy.”

The Nigerian army announced on Thursday that its fighter jets had bombarded Boko Haram’s stronghold in the forest.  In the face of military operations by the Nigerian army, the Boko Haram militants have fled towards Gwoza, on the border with Cameroon, and the nearby Sambisa Forest, where the  militants have camps.