Army commander, others missing after Boko Haram attacked troops in Borno

An Army commander and six soldiers are missing after two bases of the Nigerian military in Borno State came under Boko Haram attack on Saturday, with one soldier feared dead. There was also a loss of “unquantifiable” combat equipment in the wake of the terrorists' offensive. Nigerian Army The terrorists attacked troops of 192 Battalion deployed to Delwa village, along Maiduguri-Damboa Road in Konduga Local Government Area, and their colleagues attached to 242 Battalion in Marte Local Government Area towards Lake Chad, according to Army sources.

The two attacks appeared coordinated, as they were unleashed about the same time—6p.m. on Saturday. Saturday's incidents followed an earlier attack on May 22, on an Army base in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State. The Gubio attack was on the camp housing the Nigerian Army 5 Brigade and the 159 Task Force Battalion, and it left at least one soldier killed and three others injured.

However, despite the attack suffered on May 22, the Army Chief, Tukur Buratai, insisted that Boko Haram had been defeated in a statement last Thursday, just two days before the latest attacks. The terrorists, who attacked the 192 Battalion reportedly launched from Alagarno Forest in Damboa Local Government Area in four Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, and 12 gun trucks. Although the troops were initially dislodged, reinforcement from Maiduguri, about 30 kilometres away, helped them retake the base after the terrorists had withdrawn. Despite retaking the base, one yet-to-be-named soldier was killed, while six others, also not named yet, became missing.

The terrorists burnt a T55 armoured tank, made away with two gun trucks, a canter truck, one APC, mortal gun and unquantifiable ammunition. “Re-organisation of the camp is currently ongoing,” said a military source with knowledge of the development. Vanguard