Army, JTF Kill 48 Boko Haram Insurgents in Borno
At least 48 members of Boko Haram sect were killed during a combat between the terror group and a task force of the Nigerian Army and Civilian Joint Task Force.
An official of the Civilian-JTF, whose members fought alongside the military against the insurgents, told Premium Times that 48 Boko Haram fighters were killed in the battle.
The military is yet to speak on the attack.
It was reported on Tuesday night how Boko Haram fighters gathered outside Biu to attack the town barely 24 hours after they were repelled by soldiers.
On Monday, the insurgents, in an attempt to attack Biu, ran over two villages on the outskirts of the town, killing two people and injuring 13 others. They were later repelled by soldiers after hours of gun battle on the outskirts of Biu.
The insurgents returned the next day.
At about 6pm on Tuesday, residents of Biu were alerted to the gathering of suspected Boko Haram gunmen, who arrived at a location near Kimba, a village close to Biu.
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Security sources said troops mobilised from locations to confront the insurgents.
A source confirmed to Premium Times that the troops in Biu and the ones in Damboa converged to engage the insurgents in a shootout that lasted till the early hours of Christmas day.
Backed by operatives of the Civilian-JTF, the battle continued until “48 of the Boko Haram gunmen dropped dead, while some fled with bullet injuries.”
“The operation lasted till about 4am when the soldiers and our members finished ransacking the areas for their bodies,” said a C-JTF operative, Muhammed Liberia.
The military has not issued any statement on the Biu attacks, but another public official in the town said normalcy had returned there.
Bulama Talba, Press Secretary to Borno State deputy governor, confirmed that the attackers were repelled.
“As I am talking to you now, normal activities are going in Biu town after the soldiers repelled the planned attack.”
The Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria has caused over 30,000 deaths since 2009.
