Troops of the Nigerian Army have recovered the bodies of a commanding officer, a major and six other soldiers k!lled by Boko Haram insurgents in the Damasak area of Borno State.
Earlier reports indicated that seven soldiers were k!lled during a Boko Haram attack on Monday, while the commanding officer and 12 others were believed to have been captured by the insurgents.
However, top security sources told Daily Trust that the commanding officer, seven soldiers and two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, were later k!lled by the terrorists.
One of the sources disclosed that the bodies were recovered on Wednesday after a fierce ground battle between troops and the insurgents, supported by air operations.
“Initially, it was believed that the commanding officer was captured alive, but it was later confirmed that he was k!lled alongside the others,” the source said.
According to the source, some of the bodies were recovered after troops engaged the insurgents, who had been hiding in surrounding bushes.
He added that the insurgents attempted to ambush troops during the recovery operation, but reinforcements were swiftly deployed, forcing the terrorists to retreat after air support was provided.
The bodies were later airlifted to Maiduguri following the operation.
Narrating how the incident occurred, the source said the troops were advancing towards a major terrorist camp located between Damasak and Geidam when they were ambushed.
“They appeared to have prior knowledge of the operation. The troops were encircled midway, and the attackers opened fire,” the source said.
