From a ragtag band of fighters conducting sporadic raids and bombings from its hideouts, Nigeria's Boko Haram is fast evolving into a force able to take and hold territory. In attacks on September ist its jihadist militants overran Bama, the second-largest town in Borno state. Armed with rocket-launchers and armoured vehicles stolen from the demoralised Nigerian army, Boko Haram (its name translates loosely as "Western education is forbidden") has moved beyond its established lairs in the Sambisa forest and the Mandara Mountains. In recent weeks it has taken several towns close to the Cameroonian border, among them Gwoza, Gamboru Ngala and Banki. (see map). The seizure of Bama could provide a launch-pad for an attack on parts of Maidu-guri, the state's capital, about 65km (40 miles) away, with a population of more than 1m people. It was the birthplace of the insurgency. Two areas seized by the group in recent weeks form a strategic crescent around the city. Boko Haram has destroyed a series of bridges, including several close to Maiduguri, in an attempt to thwart military access and isolate parts of the state.
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