BEVERLY HILLS, December 17, (THEWILL) – With the December deadline given to the Nigerian Army by President Muhammadu Buhari to rout Boko Haram from their hideouts in the Northeast fast approaching , the Army disclosed on Thursday that its troops had killed 49 insurgents and rescued no fewer than 150 captives just within the past one week.
Disclosing this at a media briefing in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the Theatre Commander of the military counter-insurgency operation in the Northeast, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Yusha’u Abubakar, said the insurgents were killed in operations carried out in various hide-outs of the militants in Bama-Fulka and Alagarno axis where the captives held as human shields were rescued.
His words: “It is important to announce that our gallant troops conducted various operations along Bama-Fulka and Alagarno areas of Borno state, which yielded fruitful achievements in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram elements.”
“During the episode, the troops had an encounter with some militants, who suffered serious casualties.”
“In Alagarno axis, 15 insurgents were gunned down, while 34 others were killed along Bama-Fulka road. The troops have also rescued 150 people, mostly old men and women, as well as children. The captives who were abducted from their homes by the terrorists were being held as human shields.”
The Commander said the troops were able to deal a big blow on the insurgents after losing their major enclaves.
“Let me make it clear that Boko Haram terrorists had been degraded and weakened by the military after series of operations as the morale of our troops has been very high. Nigerians are very impressed by the performance of the Task Force in recent time. The military had no time to waste but to crush the remnant of the terrorists and move forward,” he said.
He however lamented that a convoy of military vehicles was ambushed Tuesday by fleeing insurgents along the Maiduguri-Bama road during which an officer and a soldier were killed.
