It was yet another bad day for Boko Haram terrorists on Thursday when a gang of them being chased by galant troops of the Nigerian Army ran into a heavy land mine and got killed by the forgotten bombs they buried long ago.
During their inglorious days of territorial conquests, Boko Haram had buried hundreds of improvised land mines along major routes and communities to prevent invasion of troops into their new domain.
Army officials said, the unfortunate fate that befell the insurgents in Kumala area of Damboa Local Government of Borno state was a clear signal that Boko Haram is now in disarray as the Nigerian soldiers are only battling a residue of their long decimated force.
Lacking the past belligerency with which they carried out attacks in a kind of commando style, Boko Haram now resort to weak ambush tactics that are mostly foiled by combat ready troops of the Nigeria military.
Thursday’s feat in Kumala , according to the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, had further revved up the zeal of the soldiers who have now been more convinced that the battle is being won.
Colonel Usman made this known in a statement he issued on Thursday night.
“Troops of 81 Battalion and 251 Task Force Battalion of 25 Task Force Brigade on Wednesday engaged in hot pursuit of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in Kumala”, said Colonel Usman, an Acting Director Army Public Relations.
“This followed an earlier incident in which suspected Boko Haram terrorists ambushed fighting patrol elements of 25 Task Force Brigade. After clearing the ambush, the troops exploited further off Damboa road from Kumala.
“During the pursuit, the troops traced the axis of withdrawal of the terrorists and discovered that the terrorist vehicle mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun tasted a bit of the Boko Haram terrorists’ evil intents as it ran into an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) buried by them.
“The vehicle was shredded into pieces by the IED while 2 of the Boko Haram terrorists died in the process. The troops recovered 1 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), 2 AK-47 Assault Rifles as well as one Boko Haram terrorists’ flag, 6 primed IEDs, Anti-Aircraft Gun links and rounds of ammunition. Other recoveries include 43 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition and a mobile telephone handset”.
“By this incident of the terrorists group falling victims of its evil plans against the troops, the wrath of God has been aroused by the retributive justice against the devilish Boko Haram terrorists”.
It is instructive to note that the battle against terror in the northeast recorded a turning point for all sides in the theatre of war since the induction of motorcycle battalion into the counterinsurgency operations by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai; Soldiers now record highly insignificant casualty as against the daily decimation of the insurgents’ weakened forces.
Though motorcycle riding had been banned since 2012 in Borno state, the insurgents used it,mostly, to carry out several attacks especially in the hinterlands where the terrains are difficult larger vehicles to navigate. With that leveraging advantage, the Boko Haram gunmen easily got to escape each time the military move in to confront their onslaught against innocent civilians. But with the introduction of motorcycle battalion the insurgent are now being paid in their own kind of coin.
