Nigerian troops repel Boko Haram attack in Borno, kill 10

Nigerian Army

Troops of the Nigerian Army on Friday repelled an attack by Boko Haram fighters on their location in the northern part of Borno State, killing no fewer than 10 of the terrorists, authorities said.
According to the spokesman of the Nigeria Army, Sani Usman, a Brigadier General, the insurgents attempted an attack on troops location in Kangarwa village of Kukawa local government.
Kangarwa is situated around the locations where the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is currently prospecting for oil in the shores of the receding Lake Chad.
Following the disrupting activities of Boko Haram in that strategic region, the Nigeria military had established the 119 Battalion and the 133 Special Forces Battalion of 7 Brigade to fortify the area.
Mr. Usman said troops foiled the attack with the support of the Nigerian Air Force which promptly deployed Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes.
He said troops dealt the attackers “a decisive blow”.
The attack lasted hours, from the evening of Friday to late night, as troops battled to repell the Boko Haram fighters until the airforce jet came to bolster the offensive by ground troops, Mr. Usman said.
“The resilient troops repelled the incursion and in the process killed 10 insurgents and wounded several others,” he said.

“They recovered, 1 Pulemyot Kalashnkova Machine (PKM) Gun, with 67 rounds of ammunition, 1 AK-47 Riffle with 18 rounds of ammunition, 2 AK-Rifle top covers and 3 Dane Guns with 1 cartridge.
“Others include, 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade Tube with 3 bombs, 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade charger and smoke grenade, 1 Hand Held (HH) Motorola Radio an antenna, 1 copy of Holy Quran and Boko Haram terrorists flag.
“Unfortunately, three soldiers paid the supreme price in the course of the encounter, while 27 soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries. The bodies of the gallant soldiers and those injured have since been evacuated for treatment.”
The Nigeria military had in December 2016 announced the fall of Sambisa Forest, which was known as Boko Haram’s deadliest hideout.
Authorities at the headquarters of the Theatre Command in Maiduguri have consistently assured that troops would not relent on aggressive mop-up operations to rout “remnant Boko Haram terrorists”.
They described recent attacks and suicide bombings by the terrorists as signs of desperation by the “weakened” insurgents.

Source: The Guardian(Nigeria)