In a joint offensive, Nigerian and Cameroon troops have killed 20 Boko Haram terrorists on the Talala and Kumshe axis, army spokesman Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman said in a press statement on Tuesday. Three soldiers were injured and one vehicle was damaged by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
He also announced that the Army has launched new mine clearing equipment, weapons and their ammunitions, describing it as being the first mine-clearing machines in the inventory of the Nigerian Army, and one of the best in the world.
He said the operation in Talala and Kumshe, which featured elements of the Nigerian Army’s 7 Division and Cameroonian forces, also saw the destruction of 4 AK 47 rifles, the capture of a gun truck mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun (AA Gun) and 2 AK 47 rifles, as well as a 60mm mortar and a Dane gun.
Colonel Usman said the troops encountered about 10 other IEDs along the route of advance but that they were cleared. “Most of the terrorists ran in disarray towards Fatake where troops on blocking position cleared them,” he disclosed.
“Along the Talala axis despite an IED in which 1 soldier was wounded and a damaged vehicle, the operation is progressing very well,” he said, adding that the Nigerian Air Force has been assisting the operation with interdiction and surveillance.
“Troops at Kodo rescued 150 persons who were mainly children,” the bulletin said. “In addition, a house with Boko Haram terrorists’ flag at Fatake caught fire with several ammunitions explosions in which 3 Boko Haram terrorists were killed in the house. It is important to state that 5 Brigade and 7 Multinational Joint Task Force were doing very well in their respective area of operations. This is made possible by the steady supply of needed logistics into the various formations and units fighting the Boko Haram terrorists.”
According to Col Usman, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, has again personally commended the troops for their impressive performance.
The Chief of Army Staff, who was in Maiduguri on an official visit to formations and units in the North East, offered the commendation following a briefing by the Deputy Theatre Commander and also the Land Component Commander of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Major General LEO Irabor and the General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brigadier General VO Ezugwu at the Theatre Command of Operation LAFIYA DOLE.
He was accompanied on the visit by the Chief of Training and Operations, Major General YM Abubakar and other senior officers from the Army Headquarters.