Nigerian soldiers were killed and the
whereabouts of 65 others were unknown in a deadly assault by suspected Boko
Haram members in the sect’s stronghold in Borno state.
Various defence sources conveyed the information
to PREMIUM TIMES, adding that the army authorities are outraged by the
insurgents’
strike, and have ordered an investigation into the suspected
operation blunder that gave the militants such an upper hand. The commanding
officer of the unit that carried out the operation has now been removed from
his post, officials say.
The casualty, one of the heaviest for the
military in its campaign against the militant group in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa
states, occurred along the Baga – Maiduguri road on Friday, September 13,
A detachment of soldiers under the 134 Battalion
of the 12 Brigade under the Multi National Joint Task Force, MNJTF, stationed
in Kangarwa village in Kukawa local government, had conducted a reconnaissance
to gather intelligence around the area, during which they established the
presence of previously unnoticed Boko Haram camps.
The soldiers returned to their base and filed a
report recommending aerial bombardment of the area, preparatory for a ground
operation by troops. But that plan was cancelled at the final minutes by an
unnamed top official without formal communication to the more than 100 troops
that had already advanced on the area. So the soldiers rushed to the
terrorists’ stronghold without knowing that the aerial bombardment had been
cancelled.
The soldiers were trapped in the ambush under
heavy fire from the militants who had surrounded the area, leaving at least 40
soldiers killed. Some 65 others have remained missing. The insurgents were able
to recover a huge cache of weapons from the deceased and run-away soldiers.
As with past failures that ended in bloodshed
and heavy casualty against the military, authorities have struggled to place a
lid on the incident.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Defence
Headquarters, Chris Olukolade, a Brigadier General, said he was attending a
meeting and would prefer a text message.
He did not respond to the text message.
But a top security source confirmed the incident
and said the army headquarters have ordered an investigation.
The recent attack came less than two months
after a similar miscalculation on August 4 which also resulted in a
heavy casualty following a similar surprise attack by Boko Haram
on a camp at Malam Fatori.
Note: this story have been revoke by the defence CHQ saying it false.
Note: this story have been revoke by the defence CHQ saying it false.
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