A large number of Boko Haram terrorists drowned in the Lake Chad as they fled the heavy bombardment by Nigerian Air force, a military official said on Sunday.
A spokesman for the military, Major General Chris Olukolade, in a statement, confirmed the incident.
He said that the insurgents had buried land mines in over 1,500 spots on the routes leading to the town.
Olukolade said all the landmines were skillfully cleared one after the other.
“The mining of the grounds could not save the terrorists from the aggressive move of advancing troops.
“A large number of terrorists have drowned in the Lake Chad as they fled the heavy bombardment by Nigerian Air force heralding the advance of Nigerian troops on mission to flush them out of Baga.
“Not even the strategy of over 1,500 spots with landmines on the routes leading to the town could save the terrorists from the aggressive move of advancing troops,” he said.
Major General Olukolade also made known, the victory of the troops, confirming that the operation left many of the Boko Haram members dead and a substantial number of them injured.
“Many of the terrorists died while an unknown but substantial number of them fled with various degrees of injury, in the series of encounter along the routes of advance of the troops headed for Baga,” Olukolade emphasised.
The Defence spokesman further said that apart from the five anti-aircraft guns and the rifles that were recovered from the Boko Haram terrorists, over 34 motorcycles and five vehicles including trucks being used for operations by the terrorists were destroyed in the course of the fighting, as troops headed for Baga.
According to him, the troops began clearing the terrorists on arrival in the town early Saturday morning.
Olukolade said a comprehensive cordon and search phase of military operation had started to enable troops mop-up arms and ammunition and also arrest any terrorist who might be hiding in the vicinity.
The exercise would determine details of the victims inflicted or incurred in the course of the operations to clear Baga and environs of Boko Haram terrorists.
“The troops are now dominating and conducting aggressive patrols in the locations. The morale of troops remain high,” he confirmed.
The Defence spokesman stressed that similar exercise was carried out in over 15 locations namely Gajigana, Yoyo, Kekeno, Cross Kauwa, Kangarwa, Amirari, Kichimatari, Borokari Barati, Kukawa, Ngaze, Ngenzai, Marte Junction, Mile 90, Kauwa and other localities, where troops have flushed out the terrorists in the operations before the entry to Baga.
