Blast hits JTF vehicle in Maiduguri

An explosion was yesterday said to have hit a pick-up van of the Joint Task Force (JTF) at about 6pm at Zannari, a suburb of Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital.'We heard a thunderous sound and then we saw smoke billowing in the sky,' Salisu Abubakar, a trader in the area, told Daily Trust on phone.'The blast directly hit a patrol vehicle of the JTF which was badly damaged. The blast was followed by endless gunshots. I think the bomb was planted close to the pathway and it went off as soon as the JTF vehicle was about passing,' he said.Another witness, Babagana Dan Damasak, said, 'No one can tell whether there are casualties or not. Immediately after the blast, we all fled for safety. As I am talking to you now, many JTF vehicles have arrived the scene with soldiers. They have also cordoned off the area and have launched a house-to-house search'.As at press time, our correspondent could not get the reaction of Colonel Victor Ebhaleme, the head of field operations of the JTF, as his phone was switched off.
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