Boko Haram launch new assault on Maiduguri

These insurgents have been trying to capture this town for a while now. There are reports of a fresh attack on the city of Maiduguri, in Borno by Boko Haram militants. According to reports, armed men stormed the city in the early hours of today, trying to enter Maiduguri through a suburb community called Dalwa. Loud gun fire is being heard on the streets of the northern city as many residents flee.

Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idriss, said people were fleeing the south, but also moving into Maiduguri from the surrounding areas, fearing fresh attacks from other directions.

"The fighting started at about 2:00am. The military also says it is deploying large numbers of troops to the north of the city as this could be a ploy or diversion by Boko Haram," Idriss said

Idriss added the attack could be an attempt by the group to "prove a point" following recent successes by multinational forces fighting Boko Haram in Chad and Cameroon.