Borno: Nigerian Army Kills Two Boko Haram Commanders

Battalions of Nigerian Army, Operation Tura Takaibango (OTT), have neutralised two Boko Haram commanders in the Pulka/Bama axis of Borno State, The Guardian.reports.

The commanders, who have been on the army watch list for some time are Abul-Bas and Ibn Habib.

They were killed while crossing the Guja and Vuria settlements at the bank junction along Gwoza/Bama road.

Director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, disclosed yesterday in Maiduguri that troops engaged the terrorists on February 9, 2021 at a crossing point of two settlements in the Pulka/Banki junction.

“During the forest clearance operations, three insurgents were killed,” he said, noting that two of them were the most wanted commanders of the Abubakar Shekau faction of Boko Haram.

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Speakimg further, he said the troops also recovered three General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), seven AK-47 rifles and a belt containing 446 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.

He added that a motorcycle and mobile phone were also recovered in the clearance operations.

On neutralised commanders, he said: “Abul-Bas was second in command to Abu Fatima, while Ibn Habib was the Boko Haram commander in charge of Njimia and Parisu camps in Sambisa Forest.”

Their neutralisation has dealt a big blow on the operations of the terrorists and boosted the morale of troops in the counter-terrorism operation in the forest, he noted.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has commended the troops for the feat and other successes recorded in the theatre of war.

He, therefore, charged them to intensify the aggressive clearance operation, adding: “The remnants of terrorists and their collaborators should be cleared.”

In the same vein, the military foiled an ambush by armed bandits in Kaduna, and killed many of them during a gun battle.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Ibikunle Daramola, stated at the weekend that the troops of 271 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Detachment foiled the ambush set up by a group of over 100 armed bandits at Ungwan Laya near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State.

He said: “The gallant troops were able to fight their way through the ambush, killing dozens of bandits in the process.

“Unfortunately, some NAF personnel paid the supreme price during the operation, while a few others sustained varying degrees of injuries. The injured personnel are receiving treatment at the NAF Hospital in Kaduna.”

According to the statement, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), AVM Isiaka Amao, on behalf all officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, commiserated with the families of the fallen heroes and prayed God to grant their souls peaceful repose.

“The CAS, who visited the injured personnel in the hospital this evening, has urged all NAF personnel to remain resolute and continue to work assiduously, in synergy with sister services and other security agencies, to rid the North West of all criminal elements.”