The Nigerian Army says the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) in display of resilience, commitment and doggedness eliminated scores of Boko Haram terrorists, who attacked its base at Mainok in Borno on Sunday.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Yerima said that the troops had on Sunday, came under multi-directional attacks by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists mounted on unconfirmed numbers of Gun Trucks as well as foot soldiers with possible intent of establishing a phantom caliphate in the town.
He said that the terrorists were held by the gallant troops of 156 Task Force Battalion until the arrival of reinforcement teams from 7 Division, Special Army Super Camp Ngamdu and Army Super Camp 4, Benesheik.
According to him, during the fire fight which lasted several hours, the gallant troops tactically lured a number of the terrorists into a killing zone within their camp where the Air Task Force of OPLD scrambled Alpha jets and helicopter gunship which took turns in decimating the already trapped terrorists.
“In the aftermath of the encounter, scores of Boko Haram terrorists were neutralized with their body part littering the area and a number of their gun trucks destroyed.
“Regrettably, one gallant officer and six soldiers paid the supreme sacrifice while five other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries.
“The wounded soldiers have already been evacuated to the military medical facility for treatment.
“Currently, troops are in full control of Mainok and environ as exploitation for fleeing terrorists is ongoing,” he said.
Yerima said that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, commended the troops for their resilience, commitment and doggedness.
He said that COAs had further reassured Nigerians of the army’s unalloyed commitment to defeating Boko Haram/SWAP terrorists.
“He also urged citizens to always avail the troops with accurate and timely information for prompt action,” he said. (NAN)
