Security forces raid Boko Haram camps in Borno forests
The Nigerian military is carrying out sustained ground and aerial raids on camps of members of the Boko Haram sect in Borno State.
Investigations on Thursday revealed that the special forces had cleaned out several camps of the insurgents in the Sambisa forest in the state.
A security source who confided in our correspondent said that the operation was one of the biggest since the escalation of the activities of the Boko Haram in the North Eastern part of the country.
It was gathered that the security forces started the operation in the early hours of December 31, 2013, as a preemptive action against the insurgents who were said to have been engrossed with plans to launch multiple attacks on the Borno State Capital, Maiduguri.
It was learnt that the ongoing operation involved heavy deployment of ground troops and Nigerian Air Force helicopters and fighter jets.
Our correspondent learnt that several high caliber artillery weapons were deployed in the face-off with the insurgents.
The source said that artillery weapons were deployed in such large numbers because of the calibre of weapons at the disposal of the insurgents and their audacious attacks on military formations recently.
As at the time of filing this story, the operation to flush out the insurgents from the forests of the State was still ongoing.
The source said that scores of insurgents had been killed in the sustained ground and aerial offensive, even though, the source could not put a figure to the number of the dead.
The current operation is one of the several operations carried out by the Special Forces in combating the insurgents in the country.
The Special Forces had carried out a major ground and aerial operation on the camps of the insurgents at the vast Sambisa Forest in May, 2013 which resulted in the destruction of the camps and the seizure of arms and ammunition from the insurgents.
Several people were also killed in the operation. Investigations, however, revealed that the Special Forces commenced the recent operation following the discovery that the insurgents were still operating from camps in the heart of the long forest.
The Special Forces were said to have discovered that the insurgents planted mines deep into the forest for the Nigerian troops.
It was said that the current operation was meant to ensure that no such camps were left in the forest.
Prior to this operation, the Nigerian Security operatives foiled what would have been a major Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri, on Tuesday, December 31, a day to the New Year.
Investigations revealed that the Special Forces arrested 10 of the insurgents and killed one other in the operation.
The security operatives are also said to be on the trail of 18 other insurgents who were said to be attempting to flee Maiduguri.
A security source had said on Tuesday that the insurgents dispatched a 30-man team to carry out surveillance activities on strategic places in the state to counter a planned attack on the city on New Year’s Eve.
According to the source, luck ran out on the insurgents when one of the operatives on the spy mission was apprehended at the park of the Borno Express Transport Company by the drivers of the transport firm who suspected his unusual conduct.
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