#AKINBEST# The military,yesterday confirmed that it is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Boko Haram insurgents who have been unleashing terror in the North Eastern part of the country.The Defence Headquarters admitted that it lost soldiers in the encounters while some terrorists were also killed.This was against the backdrop of revelations that the troops were finding it difficult to check activities of the terrorists because of the sophistication of the sect members among other factors. In a statement issued, yesterday,by the Director of Defence Information,Major General Chris Olukolade, the Defence Headquarters said that civilians had been evacuated from the battle ground before commencing the operation. According to the statement, the air operations to clear terrorists bases sited in Daggu and Yazza areas of Borno State during the weekend have registered the expected results in the ongoing campaign against terror. The mopping up operation by ground forces after air assault has confirmed the death of several terrorists located in the bases. Civilians had earlier been evacuated from the vicinity of the identified terrorist enclaves in line with operation orders before the air and land assaults. Extensive cordon and search of the entire locality is ongoing with a view to apprehending the wounded and other members of the terrorists group who might still be trying to flee. Fierce encounter Also yesterday, troops in pursuit of those who carried out attack in Buni Yadi last week, had fierce encounter with the terrorists around Mainok and other locations between Apa and Abulum in Borno State. The air and land operations that ensued recorded the death of some terrorists. Soldiers also died in the encounters. The statement added that, suspects who are believed to have been responsible for detonating the bomb that exploded at Bintu Sugar Ngamari area of Maiduguri yesterday (Saturday) killing many citizens and wounding several others have been arrested and are helping in the ongoing investigation on the incident. Patrols are continuing on land and air in the entire mission area in North East towards apprehending or eliminating the rampaging terrorists in the area. The Defence Headquarters dismissed as untrue the reports claiming that civilians were mistakenly killed in the air operations in some parts of the mission area, as the claim could not be confirmed after the mopping up aspect of the operation. It reaffirmed its directive that necessary care should continue to be taken to ensure safety of innocent Nigerians in the operational areas notwithstanding the fierceness of the encounters. Meanwhile, authoritative security sources disclosed to Vanguard at the weekend why Boko Haram members have been carrying out their killing campaign in the North East seemingly without molestation. The source said that a combination of many things have made the activities of the sect difficult to check. The source who is with one of the security agencies based in the North East told Vanguard that as things stand, the security agencies in the North East cannot cope with the sophistication and the battle hardiness of the sect members. Have you asked yourself why these guys strike at night? The reason they attack at night is because they know that our soldiers cannot cope. For instance, the sect members wear night vision goggles and ride in a convoy of brand new Hilux vehicles. They see what our soldiers cannot see at night. With their sophisticated weaponry and their combat hardiness it is no wonder they operate freely at night. Do our soldiers have night combat gears? I do not think so. Why Boko Haram is elusive Another reason I think these guys are out gunning our men is that they are battle hardened. Our investigation showed that they are not Nigerians. They are mostly from Chad and Niger republics. These men have decided to export terror to Nigeria. Have you not wondered why there was a lull in their activities late last year? This was when they exported their activities to the Central African Republic. After the war there, they came back to Nigeria. Have you not wondered why there is peace in Niger and Chad where there used to be change of government so often? These are men that used to cause trouble in their countries but now they have found a viable occupation in killing innocent people in Nigeria. One way I think the government can get to the root of the matter is to find out the financiers of these terrorists. Where did they get the brand new hilux vehicles they are using? These things should be investigated. This is not just guerrilla warfare. It is more than that. You cant move in a convoy of 10 vehicles and operate for at least three hours unmolested and you say its guerrilla warfare,.GOODMOURNING FELLAS AND HAVE A WONDERFUL DA
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 05:53:31 +0000
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