Nigerian army fighting the dreaded group, Boko Haram, have successfully recaptured the town of Baga and other surrounding communities in Borno state after several days of fierce fighting, the Nigerian defence headquarters has said in a tweet yesterday.
The Defence headquarters hinted that there were “heavy casualties” in the battle and that mop-up operations were ongoing.
Mr. Olukolade later issued a detailed press release giving details of the Baga operation.
Boko Haram had on 4th of January attacked the base of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, MNJTF, in Baga, eventually dislodging the army, in what was believed to be one of the fiercest battles in recent times as soldiers battled to hold their grounds without much success.
The terrorist later took control the town. Rights group, Amnesty International, stated that over 2, 000 people were killed in the attack, an allegation denied by the Nigerian military which said the number of people killed did not exceed 150 including civilians, soldiers and terrorists.
The operation to recapture Monguno, Baga and other territories held by Boko Haram started February 14 as announced by the military in early February – the major reason the security agencies gave for their demand that presidential and National Assembly elections, earlier billed for February 14, be postponed.
Sambo Dasuki, who is Nigeria’s National Security Adviser and other top military chiefs had warned that they could not guarantee security if the elections went ahead as planned.
According to details pointed out by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Nigerian military said it was planning sweeping onslaught against Boko Haram starting February 14, and did not want any form of distraction.
The military assured that the 6-week extension, which will create time for the operations, will significantly turn the tide in the war against dreaded group Boko Haram, a pledge reiterated by President Goodluck Jonathan during a televised media chat last week.
Similarly, on February 16, the army announced it had recaptured the town of Monguno and nearby communities after nearly two days of fighting.
Boko Haram had earlier carried out a pre-dawn attack on Monguno, which is almost 137 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital over three weeks ago.
The takeover of Monguno town and other communities brought Boko Haram nearer to Maiduguri and the troops successfully repelled the insurgents’ attempts to get into Maiduguri.
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