The Defence Headquarters said on Saturday that troops operating in the North East have succeeded in flushing out insurgents from Baga town in Borno.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Defence Information, Chris Olukolade.
The statement quoted Olukolade as saying that troops overpowered the insurgents through coordinated air strikes, saying that they defied landmines to achieve the feat on Saturday morning.
Olukolade said that a large number of terrorists drowned in 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 mining over 1,500 spots with land mines on the routes leading to the town could save the terrorists from the aggressive move of advancing troops.
All the landmines were skillfully cleared one after the other. Eventually, the resistance of the terrorists collapsed and the land forces finally stormed the town in the early hours of Friday.
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 as troops headed for Baga,” he said.
Olukolade said that five anti air craft guns, rifles, 34 motorcycles and five vehicles, including trucks were captured from the terrorists.
He also revealed that a comprehensive cordon and search phase of military operation was underway to enable troops to mop up arms and ammunition and also apprehend any terrorist, who might be hiding in the vicinity.
According to him, the exercise by the troops will also determine details of casualties inflicted or incurred in the course of the operations to clear Baga and its environs of terrorists.
Olukolade disclosed that a similar exercise was being carried out in 12 other locations, including Gajigana, Ngaze, Ngenzai, Marte Junction, Mile 90, Yoyo and Kekeno.
He listed Kukawa, Cross Kauwa, Kangarwa, Amirari as some towns in which troops successfully flushed out armed terrorists while on their way to free Baga.
”Troops are now dominating and conducting aggressive patrols in the locations; The morale of troops remains high,” Olukolade said.
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