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Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Boko Haram have allegedly killed about 19 soldiers when the insurgents ambushed troops of 25 Task Force Brigade, a military operation team, along Maiduguri-Damboa road in Borno State, on Tuesday afternoon.
Military sources said an exchange of fire ensured between troops and Boko Haram leading to the death of 19 soldiers. The incident was not immediately known in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, until Wednesday.
However, Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche in a statement said two soldiers were killed and four others injured.
“Regrettably, two valiant soldiers paid the supreme price while four others were wounded in action. However, the wounded-in-action soldiers have been evacuated to a military medical facility and currently responding positively to treatment,” he said.
He said the troops were of the 25/Task Force Brigade deployed to Damboa in the southern part of Borno in conjunction with their colleagues of Sector 2 Special Forces, Operation Lafiya Dole.
“Instinctively, the valiant troops out flanked and engaged the criminals with overwhelming volume of fire power forcing them to withdraw in disarray,” he said.
He maintained that 17 Boko Haram members were killed by own troops in the encounter.
The Maiduguri-Damboa road was reopened for the second time on January 28 almost two years after it was shut by the military. It was first closed in 2014 following incessant Boko Haram attacks and opened again in 2018 but later shut down as terror attacks increased.
