Expdonaloaded News; We’ve defeated Boko Haram –Military

CHEERING news came from the North East yes­terday, as the military declared that it has so weakened Boko Haram insurgents that they do not have the capacity again to hold any Nigerian terri­tory. Also, the military re­vealed that troops have destroyed all known ter­rorists’ camps and cells in the North East. Revealing this, in his maiden media interaction in Abuja, the Director of Defence Information, Col­onel Rabe Abubakar, stat­ed that following the sus­tained air raids and ground action against Boko Ha­ram, terrorists have been incapacitated and would soon be totally flushed out.
According to him, “these terrorists have been subdued, even if they are adopting other means and as they are restratagising, we are also doing same “We have been coor­dinating on the air and ground assault to make sure that these terrorists’ hideouts are completely decimated. As I speak, all the terrorists’ camps have completely been wiped out. So right now, they are completely in disar­ray, having no command and control of where to plan. We have even taken over their camps and most of them have even aban­doned their bases and blended within towns and communities. We have also apprehended some of them.” The soldier said the mil­itary was making progress, boasting: “People should know that Boko Haram is no longer strong enough to hold ground. Very soon this issue of whether they are in control of any ter­ritory in Nigeria or not will come to the open. We must begin to think of the nation. “I am assuring you that they will never again re­capture the territory taken from them, because what is happening right now with the deployment of troops, equipment and morale will ensure that.” Abubakar said that a lot of progress has been made as a result of new strate­gies adopted by the new service chiefs, including constant morale boosting visit to the troops on the front line. These visits, he said, coupled with the de­ployment of sophisticated weapons, have not only boosted the morale of the troops, but also practically introduced a new dimen­sion on combating terror­ism and insurgency in the North East. He noted that emphasis are now placed on cred­ible training and retraining on the sanctity of human rights observance and pro­tection of the combatants in the battle fields, promis­ing “an improved enforce­ment of rule and relations of the international stan­dard.” Abubakar revealed that mop up operations and mines clearance had been intensified in the liberated areas, just as necessary measures are being put in place to ensure that safety and security prevail in those places. He, however, said the complete routing of insur­gents will require collec­tive effort of all Nigerians. Part of that collective ef­fort, he noted, was the de­ployment of 8,700 strong regional force for the bat­tle against insurgents. Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, has again relo­cated to the North-east to take full charge of the fight against Boko Haram. While there, the COAS who has assured soldiers of prompt payment of their allowances and other entitlements due them, will personally supervise the military’s counter-insurgency operations as well as advance with the troops. This is even as Colonel Sani Usman, acting direc­tor, Army public relations said soldiers have suc­ceeded in clearing Bitta and Tokumbere, which used to be the strongholds of the terrorists. The army spokesman while assuring that the military would beat its three months presidential directive to end insurgen­cy in the North-east, said soldiers are not giving up as they have continue to advance through all the axis of terrorists enclave around the Sambisa forest. As the Army continues to record more successes in its operation to rout Boko Haram from Sam­bisa forest and the North-east region, it announced the arrest of 16 suspects in Yobe for alleged involve­ment in Boko Haram ac­tivities and supplying lo­gistics to the insurgents to carry out their terror acts in the state. Acting Commander of the 27th military Task Force Brigade in Damat­uru, Colonel Dahiru Bako who paraded the suspects in Damaturu, said they were arrested in different locations across the state. Items recovered from the terrorists include heavy artillery weapons, materials used in making Improvise Explosive De­vice (IED), among other dangerous weapons. Meanwhile, the Army has handed over four for­eigners and 124 Nigerians detained in connection with membership of the Islamist sect to Borno Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima. The handing ceremony held at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri was performed by Buratai who said the 128 persons comprising 109 men, sev­en women, 11 under-aged and one child were found innocent after thorough investigations jointly car­ried out by intelligence officers of the Army, po­lice, Department of State Security and representa­tives of the Borno State Government. Three Chad­ians and one Cameroonian were among the 128 freed detainees. All detainees were arrested at differ­ent points during military activities on suspicion of having dealings with the Boko Haram insurgents. Bako said some of the suspects were arrested shortly after allegedly carrying out an operation at the outskirts of Dama­turu, in which two persons were killed. He said others were apprehended as col­laborators and informants of the insurgents.