Tribune Yobe: Army kills 186 Boko Haram members, arrests 15 •Boko Haram remains a terror group, US insists · Written by James Bwala and Christian Okeke · Friday, 04 October 2013 00:00 The 7 Mechanised Division’s Operation BOYONA (Borno, Yobe and Adamawa) had commenced air and ground bombardment of Boko Haram’s new camps sited in forests the north eastern states of Yobe and Borno, military sources said. Sources said military troops were moved to the area following upsurge of attacks and killings on the Damaturu-Maiduguri road and other major roads in the areas. “There is air bombardment on Boko Haram camps now. Troops are also combing the Benisheik -Damboa axis in Borno and Goniri, Gujba Local Government of Yobe State,” a source said. Both Benisheik, a small community on the Maiduguri-Damaturu road and Gujba, south of Damaturu, have witnessed persistent attacks and the killing of over 300 travellers in mid September and the massacre of 63 (the latest dead toll) college students by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. “Thank God the operation is recording success, though it is still ongoing. Our bosses wanted the operation to be discreet,” another army personnel stated, adding that, “the military resolved to use satellite this time round having identified the movements of the insurgents. “They’ve been moving from one point to another but we’ve known their location now. Our colleagues are there and I believe they will get the terrorists, even if not all,” he said. However, the spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant- Colonel Sagir Musa, told journalists in Maiduguri that he was not aware of the operation. “I am not aware of any special operation,” he maintained. But when asked to comment on the military jet roving around the Bullumkuttu axis in the outskirt of Maiduguri down to Damboa area, he said it was a normal military exercise. However, an unconfirmed report in Damaturu revealed that over 186 Boko Haram insurgents connected with the bloody massacre of about 70 students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State have been killed in recent attacks by men of the 7 Division, when the military launched aerial bombardment on new camps sighted via satellite in search of the suspected members of the Boko Haram sect. Residents of Damaturu told newsmen that men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) claimed on Thursday that it killed scores of insurgents who killed innocent travellers and attacked the College of Agriculture. It was learnt that the military raided the camps of the insurgents near Mazari village and arrested about 15 suspects. Boko Haram remains a terror group, US insists THE United States Government has insisted that the Boko Haram sect which has been behind many killings and bombings in Nigeria remains a terror group and disclosed that it (the US) still works with the federal government to defeat the group. It said it was concerned by the activities of the sect and condemned same, which included the recent killing of students in Yobe State, because it believes that terror anywhere affects people everywhere. The Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the US Department of State, Linda Thomas-Greenfield made the statement while speaking with foreign affairs correspondents on Thursday via video conferencing. Her statements centred on US policy in sub-saharan Africa. She recalled that the US government has already applied sanctions against the leaders of the sect and is currently assisting the federal government in addressing the threat posed by the group. According to her, the US saw the recent attack on students as an act of terror and offered condolences of the White House to families of the affected persons. Greenfield also spoke on corruption and described it as one that has badly affected Nigeria’s prosperity and prestige. It is recalled that in June this year, the United States of America placed $7 million bounty for anyone that could help it capture the leader of the Boko Haram extremist, Abubakar Shekau. In a rection, the presidency commended the action and described it as a welcome development. Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati in a statement then noted that the bounty was a positive development. He said, “We welcome any effort of the international community to support Nigeria’s effort at waging war against terrorism and its perpetrators. “What this proves is that terrorism is a global phenomenon that requires global effort at combating it. “Nigeria believes that the international community needs to come together to combat terrorism,” he stated.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 08:41:49 +0000
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