Kingsley Omonobi, Ndahi Marama
MAIDUGURI — No fewer than 50 Boko
Haram members and over 30 soldiers were feared killed in an encounter
around Pilka, Kirawa and Gwoza communities of Borno State in the last
one week, reliable security source has confirmed.
It will be recalled
that following the military take-over of Damboa Council Headquarters
which was captured by terrorists, suspected Boko Haram gunmen in their
hundreds escaped from Damboa and Sambisa Forest where they invaded and
captured Gwoza town in Borno State, following last Wednesday=s multiple
attacks on several houses, a police station, secretariat complex, and
the Emir=s place.
One of the vehicle used by the insurgents on Friday
In
the latest Gwoza attacks, even the new Emir, who took over from his
late father, who was killed by Boko Haram, Alhaji Muhammed Idrisa Timta
narrowly escaped being killed.
A top security source confirmed to our
correspondent in Maiduguri that “the deployment of military to Gwoza,
weekend, led to serious casualties from both sides, as more than 30
soldiers were ambushed and killed by terrorists in Pilka, Kirawa and
other villages on the Maiduguri Bama Gwoza troubled road.
“Also, over
50 of the insurgents were killed in the encounter, but unfortunately,
military troops in Kirawa withdrew and returned to Bama where they were
reunited with their colleagues at the military barracks following the
fire-power from the insurgents. They could not go to Gwoza as directed
by their commanders.
AAt T Junction on Banki Road, the terrorists
also ambushed the military post where both sides suffered several
casualties, although I don’t have details of those killed yet,” the
source said.
He added that it was difficult for security operatives
to enter Gwoza town where terrorists had a field day, because, most of
the villages along the road leading to Gwoza where its inhabitants were
sacked, were occupied by terrorists who climbed on trees and opened fire
on military operational vehicles.
A text message sent to Director, Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade to confirm the incident was not replied.
Meanwhile,
following months of making strategies on the best ways of rescuing the
over 200 abducted girls of the Government Seconday School, Chibok, the
Defence headquarters, yesterday, disclosed that Nigerian soldiers have
infiltrated and taken positions in Sambisa forest, the den where the
girls and several other hostages were being kept.
Director of Defence
Information, Major General Olukolade, who made the disclosure, said
that Sambisa Forest is a wide expanse of land covering over 6,000 square
kilometres with several communities living inside, noting that this
explained why the military could not just go into the forest and bomb
the whole place.
Explaining that the armed forces were not relenting
in a bid to bring back the girls, General Olukolade said the military
wanted to avoid collateral damage in the process of rescuing the Chibok
girls, insisting that the foreign collaboration in efforts at achieving
this goal was assisting in this regard.
On the take-over of Gwoza
town by Boko Haram and the subsequent hoisting of their flags, and
counter attacks by soldiers to re-take the town, he said that no portion
of Nigeria was available for terrorists to occupy, adding that “if they
(terrorists) appear to be doing so now, it was only a joke.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)