Islamist leader: Attack schools

Extremist says kids not targets

LAGOS, Nigeria — Shaking a finger while cradling an assault rifle, the bearded leader of Nigeria’s extremist Islamic sect threatens to burn down more schools and kill teachers. But he denies his fighters are killing children.

In a video released Saturday, Islamist radical Abubakar Shekau said he “fully supports” attacks on several schools in northeastern Nigeria in recent weeks.

The United Nations Children’s Fund says at least 48 students and seven teachers have been killed since June, with some burned alive in a dormitory this month.

“We support the work they did at the school, at Mamudo and Damaturu, and other attacks in other schools,” said Shekau. “We are going to burn down the schools, if they are not Islamic religious schools for Allah.”

But Shekau claimed his fighters do not kill children.

“We don’t touch small children; we only burn the schools,” he says. “Our religion does not permit us to touch small children and women; we don’t kill children.”

He said his fighters would, however, attack teachers. “School teachers who are teaching Western education? We will kill them! We will kill them!” he warned, wagging his finger.

Shekau is a leader of the group Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language.

Attacks on schools have continued although thousands of troops have deployed in northeastern Nigeria to put down the Islamic extremists’ campaign, which poses the greatest threat in years to the security of Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency May 14 in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

Recently, the extremists have started targeting civilians, especially government workers, Christian pastors, school teachers and students.