Three soldiers were killed and six severely wounded on Saturday, September 24, by suspected members of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (JAS), better known as Boko Haram, in an ambush of troops belonging to Operation Hadin Kai who were escorting passengers in commercial vehicles from Maiduguri to the Falouja village of Damboa in Borno State.
Despite the Nigerian Army’s Operation Hadin Kai troops – and other security operatives – having intensified counterinsurgency operations, insurgents attacked a number of areas this past weekend.
A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), who survived the Maiduguri to Damboa road ambush and who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, told RNI that the attack occurred about 10am when the JAS opened fire on the troops.
“The Boko Haram insurgents did not ambush all the military vehicles that were escorting the passengers and the rest of us survived the attack. The insurgents attacked the last military armoured vehicle, killing the three soldiers and severely wounding six others.
“After escorting the passengers safely, we went back to the scene and fought the insurgents. We killed 10 of them, based on the number of corpses I saw. After the fierce fighting the insurgents, many of whom were wounded, ran into the bushes.”
The CJTF member said this was the first time the insurgents had attacked them since the road was reopened in July this year.
“We will be on high alert to avoid further attacks. By the grace of God, everything is now under control.”
Insurgents, thought to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), attacked the town of Benishiekh in the Kaga Local Government Area of Borno at about 3.30am on Monday, September 26, killing one CJTF member and wounding two others. The insurgents also set fire to four vehicles belonging to CJTF members.
Suspected ISWAP fighters also attacked local hunters in the village of Ngowum in the Mafa Local Government Area on Saturday, September 24. The insurgents and hunters engaged in a fierce gun battle that lasted for at least an hour. The hunters managed to repel the insurgents. No one was killed or wounded.
Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, said at least eight security personnel were abducted by ISWAP insurgents in the early hours of Saturday, September 24, in the Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State. One of the security men was a police officer, four were members of the CJTF and three were hunters.
He said the men were overpowered by the insurgents who stormed the Rural Urban Migration Site (RUGA) in the village of Pompom Baliya, about 5km from Gubio. The insurgents also stole a patrol vehicle and weapons and then headed towards Gadai village in the Nganzai Local Government Area.
Major-General Musa Danmadami, the director of Defence Media Operations, told journalists at the bi-weekly news briefing on the operations of the armed forces on Thursday, September 22, that troops had recorded a number of successes in the fight again insurgents this month.
The armed forces had eliminated 36 terrorists, rescued 130 civilians and arrested 46 suspected Boko Haram terrorists as well as 12 suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP collaborators, he said.
“Furthermore, 21 AK-47 rifles, 163 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, two rocket-propelled grenades, 25 Dane guns, 10 solar panels, 23 bicycles, 10 motorcycles and one tricycle were recovered.
“Other items recovered were 19 cellphones, 28 torch lights, bags of assorted grains, 122 rustled sheep, and the sum of ₦203,125, among other items.
“A total of 383 suspected terrorists and their families, comprising 53 adult males, 116 adult females and 214 children, surrendered to our troops at various locations in the Operation Hadin Kai Theatre.
“All recovered items, rescued civilians and apprehended suspected terrorists were handed over to the relevant authority for further action, while the surrendered terrorists and their families are being profiled for further action.”
Danmadami said that two top commanders of the JAS and ISWAP, identified as Abu Asiya and Abu Ubaida were “eliminated”, adding that Asiya was killed at Parisu and Ubaida was killed at Sheruri in the Sambisa Forest general area on September 12 and September 15 respectively.
He told journalists that the army’s air component had “eliminated several terrorists on September 9 at Somalia in Sambisa Forest in an air bombardment”.
Similar operations were carried out on “terrorists’ enclaves at Abdallari, Mafa, Zanari and Tumbun Baba between September 10 and September 14 killing several terrorists and destroying their structures”, he said.
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
