Troops have killed 16 members of the Boko Haram terrorist group at Mairari, a village located in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, North-East Nigeria.
The Deputy Director of Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, revealed this in a statement on Sunday.
He said the success was recorded on Friday evening when the soldiers deployed in the Forward Operational Base (FOB) along Mairari in Monguno had an encounter with the insurgents and recovered two gun trucks from them.
“The insurgents in three vehicles, including gun trucks, had infiltrated and attacked the community when troops at the FOB were alerted by locals.
“The troops supported by the Air Task Force swiftly responded to the attack, killing 16 insurgents and capturing two gun trucks abandoned by the insurgents, as they tried escaping having been overwhelmed by the superior firepower from the troops,” Colonel Nwachukwu said.
He added that the gallant troops recovered 163 rounds of Anti-Aircraft Gun Ammunition during the fierce encounter.
The Theatre Command spokesperson, however, disclosed that four civilians and a soldier sustained varying degrees of injury during the gunfight.
He said the injured were promptly evacuated to a military hospital in the state where they have been receiving medical attention.
Nwachukwu noted that the operational base was consequently reinforced with additional troops while fighting patrols were on the trail of the insurgents who fled the attack.
He added that normalcy has been restored in the village and urged the people of Mongonu LGA to go about their normal business without fear.
The Army colonel also asked them to remain vigilant and report any suspicious person or activity to the nearest security agency.
