SAHARA REPORTERS
Over 12 dead bodies of Nigerian soldiers and vigilantes have been recovered, and many are still unaccounted for after Boko Haram terrorists overran a military base in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.
SaharaReporters had reported that the attack, carried out on Saturday at the Forward Operating Base in Sabon Gari, has left the casualty figure rising as search efforts continue.
A military source on Tuesday also told Daily Trust, “More bodies are being recovered; some died on their way to the hospital in Maiduguri, while many soldiers and vigilantes are unaccounted for, missing in action. It’s too early to tell how many people we have lost because we are still counting.
“I cannot tell you the exact number of soldiers and vigilantes or the identity of the officers killed, but we have recovered over 12 dead bodies.”
The insurgents, reportedly in large numbers, overwhelmed the base, carting away weapons and destroying equipment.
A reinforcement team from the 25 Task Force Brigade faced ambushes and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), further complicating rescue efforts.
“The FOB (Forward Operating Base) had a strength of 110 soldiers, but only about half have been accounted for,” another source stated.
The attack, described as sophisticated, saw the use of drones by the insurgents, a growing trend that has heightened concerns over their operational capabilities.
A local resident, Adamu, attributed the increased attacks to insurgents dislodged from Lake Chad by joint military operations.
“When the onslaught became unbearable to the terrorists in Lake Chad, most of them escaped and joined the terrorists here,” he said.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN SAHARA REPORTERS
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