Skip to main content

Army battle to retake gwoza as Boko Haram kills 20, kidnap women

Nigerian troops have massed around Gwoza to retake the town from members of the Islamist group, Boko Haram, military sources have disclosed. The battle for control of Gwoza rages as reports emerged that Boko Haram insurgents yesterday killed 20 people in Doro Baga in Kukawa local government area of Borno State. The residents of the embattled village also disclosed that the militants kidnapped several women in an early morning raid. Continue...


One military source in Abuja told SaharaReporters that the soldiers on the mission to recapture the town were drafted from Maiduguri and Mubi in Adamawa State. The officer added that special Army and Air Force units had been pounding Boko Haram positions since yesterday.
“Over 1000 soldiers are involved in this operation to take Gwoza back from Boko Haram,” said the officer, adding that the troop commanders were confident of dislodging the insurgents in a matter of hours or days.
A resident of Bama, which is 35 miles from Gwoza, told SaharaReporters that he had observed a large contingent of troops moving towards Gwoza in the last 24 hours. He also stated that he had heard gunfire overnight.
Boko Haram insurgents overran Gwoza last week, killing at least 100 residents, including the wife of the town’s emir, his brother, and the chief Imam of Gwoza.
Shortly after taking over Gwoza, Boko Haram militants repelled a column of soldiers that came from Bama to chase them away, inflicting a significant casualty on the troops. Two days later, a group of soldiers from the 234 Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Agu had to abandon Gwoza when Boko Haram fighters overwhelmed them. In that battle, the Islamist militants captured one military tank and its driver. They also burnt two other tanks.
Some of the soldiers who spoke anonymously to SaharaReporters said the lack of communication equipment inside the tanks was responsible for the costly tactical errors in the earlier Gwoza operation. “The front tank suddenly turned back when its weaponry malfunctioned,” said one soldier. He added that, unable to figure out the reason for the sudden turn around, the troops took to their heels instead of positioning the three other tanks behind to engage the militants.
Officials at Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters in Abuja have declined to speak officially about the latest battle, but a military source in Abuja anonymously confirmed that the military had started waging a wide range of operational activities aimed at driving Boko Haram militants out of Gwoza.

Culled from Sahara Reporters

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COMMUNIQUE OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF IBADAN ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE MEETING AT THE POPE JOHN PAUL II PASTORAL CENTRE, ADO-EKITI FROM 11TH TO 12TH AUGUST, 2014

Preamble We, Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ondo, Ekiti, Ilorin, Oyo and Osogbo Dioceses have held our meeting at the Pastoral Institute, Ado Ekiti from 11th till 12th August 2014. We have prayerfully deliberated on matters of pastoral, spiritual, social and political interest and now conclude with the following communique: 1. The Pallium, of the new Archbishop of Ibadan Province We thank God Almighty for the event of the imposition of the pallium, the symbol of the authority of the Metropolitan archbishop, on the new Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Reverend Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin on the 29th of June 2014 in Rome by His Holiness, Pope Francis. We thank the large Nigerian delegation that witnessed the occasion and pray that the Archbishop’s tenure witness unprecedented pastoral progress in our Province. 2. The Ebola Epidemic. The Ebola epidemic is a source of worry to all peoples all over the world. We highly commend the government ...
Post a Comment
Read more

CAS Upholds Suarez's 4-Month Ban

Luis Suarez's four-month biting ban is upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but he is cleared to train. A full explanation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling will not be published until a later date. Suarez's lawyers argued world governing body FIFA's decision to suspend him from all "football-related activity" for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup was excessive. The Uruguay striker, 27, was also banned for nine international matches. Suarez was a Liverpool player at the time of his clash with Chiellini but has since left Anfield to join Barcelona in a £75m deal. Barcelona's La Liga season starts at home to Elche on 24 August. An eight-game ban would have meant Suarez was unavailable until El Classico at Real Madrid on 26 October. At last week's hearing in Lausanne, Suarez's legal team argued he should be allowed to train with Barca during his suspension and that his ban should be limited to internati...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Great Chinese Exodus Many Chinese are leaving for cleaner air, better schools and more opportunity. But Beijing is keeping its eye on them.

A recent report showed that 64% of China's rich are either migrating overseas or have plans to leave the country. Political scientist James To, who has written a book on the subject, tells the WSJ's Deborah Kan how the Chinese government is using propaganda campaigns abroad to ensure loyalty from overseas Chinese. Even when the emperors did their utmost to keep them at home, the Chinese ventured overseas in search of knowledge, fortune and adventure. Manchu Qing rulers thought those who left must be criminals or conspirators and once forced the entire coastal population of southern China to move at least 10 miles inland. But even that didn't put an end to wanderlust. Sailing junks ferried merchants to Manila on monsoon winds to trade silk and porcelain for silver. And in the 19th century, steamships carried ar...
Post a Comment
Read more