Military routs Boko Haram in Sambisa

In a battle that could be de­scribed as “operation no mercy,” the military has sustained attacks on Sam­bisa Forest in Borno State, killing several insurgents and recovering vehicles and ammunition.

This is coming barely one week after President Mu­hammadu Buhari ordered the military to crush Boko Haram within three months and restore peace in the North-East of the country.

Speaking on the latest military operations in the North-East, Soldiers on in­ternal security operations in the North East, acting Director, Army Public Rela­tions, Colonel Sani Usman, said Nigerian Air Force warplanes bombarded Boko Haram camps in Sambisa Forest, killing scores, before ground troops moved in to complete the task of routing the insurgents.

Among insurgents killed by ground troops, he said, were a number of terrorists fleeing the Sambisa forest in seven pick-up vans and mo­torcycles.

He said at the camp of Boko Haram, soldiers re­covered assorted weapons, including rocket propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, two AK47 rifles and large quantities of 7.62mm NATO and 12.7mm am­munition, which were all destroyed along with the vehicles and motorcycles by the troops.

Colonel Usman said sol­diers from 26 Task Force Brigade in Gwoza, Borno State, killed the terrorists. Assuring the people of the area of the continuous sup­port of the army to protect them from any attack, he said troops had intensi­fied patrols in the area in line with the new offensive against the terrorists.

Meanwhile, as part of his new strategy to tackle the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, has authorized the immediate establish­ment of a 2-level hospital at the largest internally dis­placed persons camp (IDPs) in Maiduguri.

In addition to the estab­lishment of the hospital, the Air Chief also ordered the construction of a borehole to service the hospital and oth­er people within the camp.

Also, the Nigerian Air Force has intensified the aer­ial bombardments of Sam­bisa forest. The F-7 fighter aircraft carried out interdic­tion mission over designated targets and suspected Boko Haram locations. The Alpha Jet carried out armed recon­naissance and attacked some moving vehicles belonging to Boko Haram insurgents.

While the Mi-24 and Mi- 35 attack helicopters fur­ther carried out interdiction mission at some identified targets all in Sambisa for­est, the ATR-42 and Dia­mond-142 surveillance air­craft continued with their ISR missions over Dama­sak, Alafia and Sambisa for­est where some abandoned vehicles belonging to the terrorists were seen at some locations in the forest.

In another development, the Defence Headquarters had denied reports that over 150 people from Kukuwa- Gari village were shot dead by Boko Haram gunmen in Yobe State while many oth­ers fleeing from the gunmen drowned in Yobe River in the mid-afternoon yester­day.

The military said the story was utterly scurrilous and very misleading, saying it was not true.

According to the mili­tary headquarters, the truth of the matter was that the military got an intelligence report concerning a planned attack by Boko Haram on Kukuwa-Gari village in Yobe State.




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