An ‘unconfirmed’ number of terrorists were killed on Sunday as troops continued their offensive against Boko Haram in Sambisa Forest, the Defence Headquarters last night.
This is just as 10 additional camps used by terrorists were destroyed in the operation, which sadly saw a soldier lose his life after stepping on one of the landmines buried by the terrorists.
In a statement issued by the Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, “The Dure camp, which is one of the most prominent camps in the forest witnessed the fiercest battle as the Special Forces descended heavily on it before it finally fell”.
He added that “Four of the camps were located in a place called Iza within the forest while three others were noted to be recently established by the terrorists before the assault began. One soldier died from one of the land mines encountered in the operation while two others were also wounded.
“The terrorists lost a number of vehicles mounted with Anti-Aircraft Guns as well as armoured vehicles. Some of the terrorists who escaped from the camps also died as they ran into troops’ ambush in some escape routes from the forest.
“Meanwhile, some of the fleeing terrorists have also engaged in suicide missions at Bitta where they encountered the Nigerian troops and Kiskeru across the border in Niger Republic”.
“The Operation to clear the terrorists in Sambisa and other forests is continuing as troops in all fronts have been alerted to be on the lookout for fleeing terrorists. The Nigerian Air force is maintaining an active air surveillance to track the movement of terrorists for appropriate action as the operation continues”, the military further disclosed.