Troops of the 21-Armoured Brigade, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) and 199 Special Forces Battalion, in collaboration with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), have neutralised 35 Boko Haram terrorists and captured their commander, Alhaji Ba’ana, in Sambisa forest of Borno State.

The troops, led by Brig-Gen. Victor Unachukwu, also destroyed 12 terrorist camps during a clearance operation in the forest.

A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed, in Maiduguri, yesterday, that Unachukwu made unprecedented incursions into the terrorists’ hideouts to completely eliminate them from the fringes of the forest.

He said the operation at Awulari on April 17, 2023, progressed further into the insurgents’ camps in the Garno/Alafa axis.

On how the camps were destroyed, he said: “The troops destroyed several terrorists’ camps before clearing Izzah and Farisu communities on April 19, 2023. The ground troops ferociously engaged dozens of the resisting terrorists in a heavy gun battle. They eventually overpowered the terrorists after about 30 minutes of fierce gun battle, killing 18 of them.”

According to him, the troops, therefore, recovered several motorcycles, AK-47 rifles and an anti-aircraft gun.

However, a member of CJTF reportedly paid the supreme price.

He continued: “In the Ukuba forest community, on April 20, 2023, the soldiers made contact with another set of the insurgents and killed seven of them, while others escaped with gunshot wounds.”

The troops were able to recover a truck and two units of 122 artillery guns from the forest, The Guardian gathered.

Also, while clearing Garin Glucose, the troops killed two additional terrorists, while others hastily withdrew.

He added that the three-day special operations led to the clearing of 12 communities in the forest of Bama Local Council and the release of some women held captive by the terrorists.

Meanwhile, no fever than 30 persons lost their lives in attacks by gunmen in a village in Mangu Local Council of Plateau State last week.

Investigation into the attacks by Crisis Management Mediation Response Council (CMMRC) disclosed that problem started when a Fulani native was allegedly killed and his kinsmen vowed to revenge.

Secretary to the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Sadeeq Hongs, told The Guardian that Murich and Mai Tumbi were big rural communities where both the natives and the Fulani live together.

According to Hongs, fighting with sophisticated weapons like AK-49 and explosives ensued till last Sunday, which led to the intervention of OPSH, the police and other security agents to quell the situation.

“By Monday, April 4, the death toll was over 30 and fighting was still raging on the outskirts. Many houses and other property were burnt or destroyed. The situation was indeed bad,” he said, adding that security operatives had taken over the situation. (The Guardian)

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