Boko Haram fighters kill another army commander

The Boko Haram insurgents have attacked a military location at Kareto village in the Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State, killing the Commanding Officer of 158 Battalion, and an undisclosed number of soldiers.

The acting Director, Public Relations, Nigerian Army, Col Sagir Musa, had yet to reply a text message sent to his phone on the incident as of press time on Friday.

There are fears that the terrorists are still within the local government area planning more attacks on troops and civilians.

The attack on the 158 Battalion and the killing of its commanding officer came about one month after the terrorists planted an Improvised Explosive Device which killed the Commanding Officer of 154 Task Force Battalion, Lt Col Yusuf Aminu.

The officer and two soldiers were on May 13 killed along the Borgozo-Mauli Road in Borno State, an incident which was confirmed by the army days later, after the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, attended the burial of the soldiers at the Maimalari Military Cantonment Cemetery, Maiduguri.

Our correspondent learnt on Friday that in the latest spate of attacks, the terrorists attacked the 158 Battalion’s location on Democracy Day, carted away military weapons and later relocated to neighbouring Fuchimiram village.

The commanding officer, whose name had yet to be confirmed, and some soldiers, were reported to have been killed by the terrorists.

“The troops in the entire local government and beyond are still vulnerable. We need more reinforcements to be able to curtail the terrorists’ attacks. Some of the terrorists are presently in Fuchimiram village,” a military source said.

A day before the June 12 attack, the military authorities confirmed that terrorists had invaded Darak in northern Cameroon, killing 10 soldiers of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, while 64 of the insurgents were also neutralised during the fire fight.

The MNJTF Chief of Military Public Information, Col Timothy Antigha, in a release later said that about “300 heavily armed Boko Haram terrorists invaded Darak,” but claimed that they were repelled by troops.