“This week’s attack on Katarko village in Yobe State falls into a new pattern of Boko Haram targeting military outposts in the erroneous belief that it would deter troops that are going after them as part of mop-up operations.
A group, the Coalition for Truth and Justice (CTJ), has condemned the recent attack on Katarko town, where at least ten houses were set ablaze by Boko Haram insurgents.
According to reports, the attackers drove through the eastern part of Katarko town in a convoy of three RPG laden Hilux vans, and unleashed terror on the people.
Katarko, in Gujba Local Government Area, is a town located 20 kilometers from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital. On July 27, 2014, the town suffered a Boko Haram attack that claimed lives, with more than 100 women and children abducted.
Condemning the attack, Charles Timothy, National Coordinator of the group, said the consistent attacks attempting to overpower military outposts were becoming alarming.
In a statement obtained by SaharaReporters, Timothy charged the Nigerian Army not to be deterred by the continued attacks, just as he urged Nigerians to continue to support the troops.
He said: “This week’s attack on Katarko village in Yobe State falls into a new pattern of Boko Haram targeting military outposts in the erroneous belief that it would deter troops that are going after them as part of mop-up operations.
“The fact that the terrorists are now focusing on military outposts is an indication that they are under pressure to change the kind of crimes they commit in the growing desperation to remain relevant by continuing to be in the news through sporadic hit-and-run attacks.
"The intensity with which the members of the group shared and promoted video clips from the said incidents in Yobe State, indicate that the recent attacks by the Boko Haram terrorists is an attempt to recover what they perceived as their lost glory, something that the Nigerian Army must continue to deny them.
"The Army must continue to hold the line and ensure this bloodthirsty group does not come anywhere near the level of insurrection it carried out three months to the elections of 2015 since the goal is for the terrorists to be able to produce such situation for their political patrons to cite."
The group, however, urged the civilian population in the troubled states to support the fight against the insurgents, as the military continues to intensify efforts to root them out of their hiding places.