“At least 700 killed in Boko Haram attack”

Recent reports of a large-scale massacre carried out by Boko Haram militants in northeastern Nigeria have served as a brutal reminder of the threat posed by the Islamist extremist group.

Nigeria’s director of defence information said that the number of killed “has so far not exceeded about 150,” including Boko Haram fighters. Now, new satellite imagery obtained by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch appears to confirm considerable damage occurred in the towns of Baga and Doro Gowon in Borno .

In the images taken on Jan. 10 that were released by Human Rights Watch, huge swaths of the towns appear to have been damaged by fires. The organization estimates that there are signs of burning and other damage in approximately 57 percent of Doro Gowon and 11 percent of Baga. Thousands of commercial and residential buildings appear to have been destroyed.Amnesty released images of specific neighborhoods in the two towns from both Jan. 2 and Jan. 7. In images from the latter date, buildings have been destroyed and the ground is scorched.