Thousands flee attacks on northeast Nigerian town: UN

UN says tens of thousands have fled a series of attacks this week by armed groups on the town of Damasak, Borno state.

As many as 65,000 people have fled the northeastern Nigeria town of Damasak following a series of attacks by armed groups, the United Nations refugee agency said. Fighters from the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed the town in Borno state three times in a week to strike a military garrison, burning homes and a UN office and killing at least 12 people, the UNHCR said on Friday. In the latest violence on Wednesday, fighters attacked the garrison before being forced back into the town itself, military sources and residents said.