Mountains in Borno State, which has served as one of the
major enclaves to the outlawed Islamist sect, Boko
Haram.
The soldiers have been able to reclaim the insurgents'
stronghold due to its intensified assault on the insurgents
across the Northeast.
An unspecified number of insurgents were killed in
sustained raids in and around the mountain while about
60 were arrested.
The troops are still combing the mountain to fish out
Boko Haram leaders and fighters believed to be hiding
there.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah and
the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, both of
whom have temporarily relocated to Borno State, are
personally leading land and air assaults against the sect
in Borno.
In the midst of the gains, the Defence Headquarters
confirmed on Friday its arrest of a suspected terrorist
who claims to be a Cameroonian and an arms courier for
Boko Haram.
The arrest of the suspect has led to the discovery of a
large cache of arms and ammunition hidden in the
premises of a burnt church.
Some of the recovered arms were anti-aircraft guns,
rocket propelled guns, General Purpose and other brands
of machine guns.
A top military source,shedding light on the capture of
Mandara Mountain said :"As I talk to you, our troops
have captured Mandara Mountain and they are combing
the caves in the place to smoke out the terrorists.
"During the encounters, many insurgents were killed and
an appreciable number of them arrested.
"Since Tuesday, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth
Minimah and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola
Amosu have been directly in charge of the operation.
While the Air Chief is guiding the air operation, the chief
of army staff is leading the land campaign.
"So, you can see that these service chiefs are providing
leadership for the troops in order to ensure that we win
the war against the insurgents."
Asked about a letter purportedly written by Boko Haram
to the military threatening to attack Maimalari Barracks,
the source said: "The military authorities have not been
informed of that but it won't be strange if they do so
because that is their pattern.
"They are certainly frustrated because as the operation
is continuing their fighters are dying and many members
of the Boko Haram have been arrested.
"So far, more than 60 insurgents have been arrested in
the last five days. We are still on the trail of more of
them."
Also, the Defence Headquarters on Friday confirmed the
arrest of a Cameroonian who is said to be central to the
operation and management of Boko Haram armoury.
Spokesman for DHQ, Gen. Chris Olukolade, said: "The
arrest of a terrorist who claims to be a Cameroonian and
an arms courier for the group has led to the discovery of
a large cache of arms and ammunition hidden in the
premises of a burnt church.
"The weapons, which have now been recovered by
troops include anti-aircraft guns, rocket propelled guns
as well as the General Purpose and other brands of
machine guns , were found buried in the premises of one
of the churches earlier burnt by terrorists in Kalabalge
Local Government Area of Borno state.
"Also recovered from the location were thousands of
ammunition and links.
"The middle aged man who led troops on the cordon and
search operation towards the recovery was one of the
terrorists captured in recent raids".
Olukolade said that the weapons were stockpiled to be
used in a pending attack on some communities around
Nigeria- Cameroon border.
The weapons have all been evacuated while Guard
locations and patrols are being maintained in the general
area and the surrounding localities.
The military claims could not be independently verified.
On the operation in Borno State, the DHQ said: " troops
have continued with various operations assigned to the
formations involved in the counter terrorist campaign.
"The caves of a particular mountain captured overnight
are undergoing a thorough search for terrorists who are
believed to have fled there in the wake of the ongoing
offensive on various terrorist enclaves. Arms are also the
object of the cordon and search.
"The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Kenneth Minima has
been checking on deployment and troops disposition in
various locations of the theatre of the counter terrorist
campaign in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
"The Army Chief who is in company of his Air Force
counterpart, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, also visited
troops who were wounded in the course of the operation
so far, in the Military Hospital in Maiduguri.
"The Chiefs were assured by the commander of the
Hospital, Brig-Gen Okeke that most of the wounded
soldiers were in stable condition and that some who
have recovered very well, expressed their desire to
rejoin their units and colleagues in the operation.
"The army chief however directed that the hospital
should not hesitate to let him know the requirement for
any case requiring referral or further treatment
anywhere.
"The service chiefs are also undertaking a
comprehensive air surveillance of the entire mission
area in addition to the direct inspection of some key
locations where operations are being conducted."
Source: DailyTimesNg
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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