The Nigerian Army has confirmed the number of people killed during a gun battle between its troops and Boko Haram fighters in Damboa local government area of Borno state on Wednesday.
The army operations media coordinator, Aminu Ilyisu in a statement on Thursday, said 19 Boko Haram insurgents were killed during an exchange of gunfire on Wednesday while many of the insurgents also sustained injuries.
He added that three soldiers were killed while four others sustained various degrees of injury during the gun battle.
He further disclosed that weapons including five AK-47 rifles, one general-purpose machine gun and one rocket-propelled gun tube were recovered from the fleeing insurgents.
“A misguided attempt by some criminal Boko Haram elements to attack the troops of 25 Task Force Brigade (Army Super Camp 2) located in Damboa LGA of Borno State has met a crushing defeat in the hands of the resilient troops,” the statement read.
“The marauding criminals mounted on gun trucks and with a number of their foot soldiers attempted to infiltrate the troops’ location from three different fronts in the early hours of March 4.
“The troops responded swiftly, bringing to bear superior firepower against the criminals in conjunction with the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole.
“The encounter which lasted for over an hour witnessed one of the most debilitating defeats of the Boko Haram criminals in a single encounter since the turn of the year.
“So far, 19 Boko Haram criminals’ bodies have been recovered. Some of the insurgents were observed escaping with various degrees of gunshot wounds by the troops who are on vigorous exploitation of their initial success along the criminals’ withdrawal route.
“Regrettably, three valiant soldiers paid the supreme prize while four others were wounded in action. However, the wounded soldiers were evacuated to a military medical facility for immediate and effective management.”
Naija News recalls the Boko Haram terrorist group attacked Damboa, the headquarters of a local government area in Borno State on Wednesday.
The insurgents arrived the community in large numbers and Hilux vehicles around 6:30 am on Wednesday and started shooting sporadically.
They, however, met stiff opposition from the Nigerian Army troops who engaged them in a gun battle for about one hour.
