Nigeria’s military on Thursday announced its first major success in weeks: soldiers rescued 71 Boko Haram captives, nearly all girls and women, in firefights that killed many Boko Haram militants and destroyed militant camps in three villages near Maiduguri.
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“There had been a suicide attack on Gamboru market this morning”.
They agreed to strengthen security collaboration along their common border under the auspices of the Nigeria-Cameroon Trans-Border Security Committee and within the framework of the implementation of the concept of strategic operations approved at the Abuja Summit.
Chad on Friday said its troops have killed 117 Boko Haram fighters in an operation against the extremists holed up on the islands of Lake Chad.
The source said that as mentioned by the identity cards of those arrested, “the bomb carrier was a male and of Nigerian nationality”.
A “mentally handicapped” female suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and injured 47 more last Sunday at a crowded market Damaturu, capital of neighbouring Yobe state.
The military has rescued another 59 hostages from Boko Haram hide-outs in Borno State during raids in what appeared like a renewed vigour to end insurgency in the northeast.
Usman also says a few of the commanding officers involved in the fight against Boko Haram were affected by the changes.
The presidents also voiced support for the new Multinational Joint Task Force comprised of soldiers from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin.
While the regional offensive launched in February has successfully forced Boko Haram out of several positions, the Islamists have unleashed a new wave of violence since Buhari became president in May, killing more than 800 people in just two months.
“This has affected a few of the principal staff officers at the Defense and Army headquarters as well as a few of the general officers commanding the division and other key appointments in the Nigerian army”, he said.
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“No one wants terrorism”, Kebzabo had said earlier, adding that the fight against Boko Haram has come as a “windfall to the Chadian government” and “allows for the organisation of repression before the presidential vote” slated for next year. The rebels have increased their number of attacks back at the military, yet with little in the way of considerable gain as mentioned by recent reports.
