SAHARA REPORTERS
Nine personnel of the Nigerian armed forces have been ambushed and killed by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
The terrorists also lost scores of their members in a hot crossfire, according to a credible source who spoke with SaharaReporters.
It was gathered that the troops were returning from Dumba, east of the Lake Chad basin when they were engaged in a gun duel by the terrorists.
They were reported to have gone to Dumba to assist with the burial of 40 farmers murdered by the terrorists.
A soldier who spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday informed that the terrorists opened fire on the troops on Tuesday while returning from Dumba where they responded to a distress call to provide cover for villagers to bury their loved ones.
He said, “They (terrorists) ambushed and fired at us leading to the death of seven gallant officers on the spot. Two others later passed on at a hospital.”
The soldier noted that five officers of the squad were yet to be accounted for after the encounter, adding that one soldier sustained gun wounds.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that at least six terrorists were neutralised by the troops of in a coordinated operation targeting Lakurawa terrorists in the Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The operation, carried out under Operation Fansan Yamma, was announced in a statement on Thursday by Lt. Col. Abubakar Abdullahi, Coordinator of the Joint Media Coordination Centre.
The statement disclosed that the operation led to a fierce firefight, during which five soldiers lost their lives.
“The troops recovered the following items from the operation, four AK-47 rifles, 160 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and one box of 12.7mm ammunition.”
While the military hailed the success of the operation, it expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the five soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
“Despite this success, the operation came at a heavy cost, as five gallant soldiers tragically lost their lives in the line of duty,” the statement added.
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