Nigerian soldiers on Monday raided some hideouts of the Boko Haram in remote villages of Borno State during which six members of the group were killed in a shootout, an official said.
The raid, according to the spokesperson of the Nigeria army, Sani Usman, a brigadier general, was conducted by troops of 192 Battalion, 26 Task Force Brigade, deployed for Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the volatile northeast Nigeria.
Mr. Usman, who made this known in a statement, said the troops stormed the Boko Haram terrorists’ hideouts around villages called Dissa and Patawe in Borno State.
“During the operation, the troops neutralized 6 Boko Haram terrorists and wounded several others. They also recovered an AK-47 Rifle, 1 AK-47 Magazine loaded with 9 rounds of ammunition, 22 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, 3 Bicycles and 3 Bags of Groundnut”, the statement reads.
“The team also recovered the sum of Twenty Nine Thousand and Forty Naira (N29,040.00k) on the body of one of the terrorists.
“In a related development, troops of 82 Division Task Force Battalion attached to 26 Task Force Brigade intercepted and ambushed a Boko Haram terrorist logistics supplier at a crossing point around Daushe village today. The team recovered a Bag of Sorghum, Basketful of provisions and other sundry items. The troops also rescued a 36 years old woman with gunshot wounds enroute back”.
Despite losing most of the territory they controlled including their Sambisa forest base, Boko Haram members have continued to carry out attacks on soft targets using lighter assault rifles and suicide bombing.
Many civilians as well as military personnel have died since December 2016 when Boko Haram’s Camp Zairo in the Sambisa forest fell, to date.
Nigerian soldiers have also continued to raid Boko Haram camps outside the forest during which many of the group’s members were killed.
A teenage Boko Haram member recently arrested by the operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corpse at an IDP camp in Borno state, said hundreds of his likes are still armed in the bush and working for the Boko Haram.