No fewer than 81 Boko Haram terrorist fighters have been killed while a soldier paid the supreme price in a fresh onslaught against the insurgents by the Nigerian military in Sambisa general area.
Newsmen gathered that the soldier died from a landmine attack while four others sustained various degrees of injuries, even as fleeing terrorists have continued to wreak havoc and razing villages in their escape routes.
According to report from military intelligence source, the troops of Sector 1 comprising troops of 21 and 26 Brigades supported by the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) cleared many villages of terrorists in the axis including Garin Bello, Kwoche, Lawanti, Alfa Bula Hassan, and Alfa Cross among others.
”Nigerian troops inside Sambisa Forest encountered stiff resistance from the terrorists who laid improvised explosive devices along the troops’ axis of advance.
“The relentless troops destroyed the terrorists’ camps and recovered gun trucks and weapons as NAF aircraft continue to provide close air and interdiction support to the ground forces.
“Regrettably a soldier paid the supreme sacrifice with 4 other soldiers wounded in an improvised explosive devices incident,” the intelligence officer added in a message to the troops on behalf of the chief of army staff, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru. The theatre commander Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Farouk Yahaya who praised the gallantry of the troops urged them to sustain the tempo.
In a related development, our correspondent gathered that a large number of fleeing Boko Haram terrorists invaded Zira and Gur villages in the Biu South local government area of Borno State.
The terrorists according to the report stormed the communities at about 4:30 pm on Sunday, on motorcycles and gun trucks, and set ablaze many houses, while residents scampered for safety. The NAF aircraft later engaged the fleeing terrorists with air bombardments.
