The attack occurred less than two months after 20 soldiers were killed by militants in the same area.
At least 40 Nigerian soldiers were killed and 65 others went missing in a deadly ambush by suspected members of the extremist group, Boko Haram, in the sect’s stronghold in Borno state, multiple defence sources have told newsmen.
Army authorities are miffed by the incident, and have ordered an investigation into the suspected operation blunder that gave the militants such an upper hand. The commanding officer of the unit that carried out the operation has now been removed from his post, officials say.
The casualty, one of the heaviest for the military in its campaign against the militant group in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, occurred along the Baga –Maiduguri road on Friday, September 13, in what our sources said was a classic case operational and communication failure.
A detachment of soldiers under the 134 Battalion of the 12 Brigade under the Multi National Joint Task Force, MNJTF, stationed in Kangarwa village in Kukawa local government, had conducted a reconnaissance to gather intelligence around the area, during which they established the presence of previously unnoticed Boko Haram camps.
The soldiers returned to their base and filed a report recommending aerial bombardment of the area, preparatory for a ground operation by troops, our sources, who declined to be named for security concerns, said.
But that plan was cancelled at the final minutes by an unnamed top official without formal communication to the more than 100 troops that had already advanced on the area.
“Due to lack of communication, the troop ran into the terrorists without knowing that the aerial bombardment had been cancelled and they were caught unawares,” one of our sources said.
The soldiers were trapped in the ambush under heavy fire from the militants who had surrounded the area, leaving at least 40 soldiers killed. Some 65 others have remained missing, our sources said.
The insurgents confiscated a huge cache of weapons from the soldiers after the attack.
As with past failures that ended in bloodshed and heavy casualty against the military, authorities have struggled to place a lid on the incident.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, Chris Olukolade, a Brigadier General, said he was attending a meeting and would prefer a text message.
He did not respond to the text message.
But a top security source confirmed the incident and said the army headquarters have ordered an investigation.
Other officials, who spoke to reporters anonymously, said the Boko Haram assault was a reminder of the difficulties they face daily contending a dodgy but adept enemy that continues to take advantage of mistakes by military planners, to inflict heavy damage on army units.
The attack came less than two months after a similar miscalculation on August 4 which also resulted in a heavy casualty following a similar surprise attack by Boko Haram on a camp at Malam Fatori.
Officials had told newsmen at the time that about 20 soldiers were missing after that attack.
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God save our security men, what kind of wahala is this?
ReplyDeleteIts getting clearer day by day dt GEJ must handover power to d north for peace to reign.The army is nolonger fully under his control.Many are loyal to d command of B 'haram sect.Can a country operate on a divided military? This is too risky for GEJ!
ReplyDeleteuche....na mumu talk u dey speak for mouth even if GEJ handover did u think all this people will stop there evil act? if atal they want to acuire the seat is not by killing i no for sure that the blood of those they are killing we soon be crying on there head the best thing is separate if all this people continue to kill
ReplyDeleteI thought by now the so-called top Army officer would have been sent to the gallows for his wicked act. He deserves no mercy cos its a deliberate act of murder of his colleagues. May the soul of the gallant officers rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteHmmm! INCOMPETENT NIGERIAN ARMY! If na CIVILIANS na U guys to FROG JUMP, PLANT their POT, FORWARD ROLL, KICK, SLAP, even GUN BOOT them. Now U're facing ARMED ALMAJIRIs & are DIEING like CHICKENS.
ReplyDeleteMay d souls of those soldiers rest in peace(crying) dis is a total conspiracy by dat top Army officer who cancelled dat air raid. He is working with d boko haram members. He should be slaughter like a chicken for handing over his men to dos evil men. Those military top officials who are bn posted to dos boko haram areas should be christains and not moslems.
ReplyDeleteANONYMOUS 5:20AM,u are nothing but a living proof of d aphorism,"little knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance" Or let me make it simpler to u:person who read wt out understanding is worse than some1 who can not read at all.If u were learned enough to dissect my write-up,u wd have bn able to understand d basis of d piece:looming 'mutiny' in d army.Whats d primary cause of mutiny? And who is the commander- in-chief of d armed forces of Nigeria??Needless to ask,since u appear ignorant of these.
ReplyDeleteGod have mercy on naija
ReplyDeleteThe unnamed top official shd be properly investigated and prosecuted accordingly, obviously he has conived with the Boko Haram people. GEJ shd pls expose the top official's face b4 public prosecution.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is a classic case of mutiny. What a barberic act perpetrated by the army. Any casualty to BH is a closed case and the army personel involved will never be known. It happened two months ago and it has happened now. Perhaps it will happen in the near future. Who is fooling who here? The earlier the Army tells us they want to eliminate some certain personalities in the army and there seems not to be any other way than to send them on a 'mission impossible', the better educated Nigerians will be about the state of insecurity in the country; for how can ill educated miscreants called BH survive the attack of able combatant Nigerian forces past not just one month, not even a year but several years?
ReplyDeleteTruely the most dangerous BH is the government.
too bad
ReplyDeleteMay their Soul Rest in Peace