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| Troops operations in Sambisa |
A
white man, whose nationality is yet to be disclosed, was captured inside
Sambisa Forest as Nigerian troops cleared Boko Haram insurgents out of their last
fortress on Thursday.
“The man is under custody and providing
positive information”, said a soldier, who just returned to Maiduguri from the
liberated forest.
NAN
quoting Daily Trust on Sunday said the soldier said while hundreds of Boko
Haram fighters were killed during the offensive that began about a month ago,
many others were captured alive while attempting to flee.
“Hundreds
of Boko Haram captives, including men, women and children have been freed and
taken to safety. “All I can tell you is that no big Boko Haram commander is
alive in the Sambisa; we are in control of the forest.
“It
took months of planning and mapping because of the size, difficult weather and
other factors in the Sambisa Forest.”
The
source said that one of the major factors that delayed the takeover of the
insurgents’ hideout was the thousands of people, including those living in
villages around the vast forest that were being held as human shield by the
Boko Haram leaders.
It
was gathered that the 4,200 troops were deployed to the Sambisa Forest through
various fronts, including Ngurosoye, Konduga/Aulari, Bama, Fulka and Damboa.
“The
151 Battalion of the Nigerian Army advanced into Sambisa through the
Banki-Darul Jamal axis, the 27 Battalion advanced through Mafa, the 152 Battalion
advanced through Pulka, while the 222 Battalion approached the dreaded forest
through the Maiduguri axis,” another soldier, who participated in the
operation, said.
He said the operation was carried out day and night.
“When
mine detectors cleared the way, troops moved in to confront the insurgents, who
were equally well armed with sophisticated fighting equipment.
(Vanguard)
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