Nigerian troops kill 16 Boko Haram fighters in Mairari

Nigerian troops have killed 16 Boko Haram fighters in Mairari village in northern Nigeria state of Borno

At least 16 Boko Haram terrorists have been killed by troops at the Mairari, a village in Monguno Local government area of Borno State.

The Deputy Director of Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said on Sunday that the success was recorded on Friday evening when the soldiers deployed in the Forward Operational Base (FOB) along Mairari in Monguno had an encounter with the insurgents and recovered two gun trucks from them.

“The insurgents in three vehicles, including gun trucks, had infiltrated and attacked the community when troops at the FOB were alerted by locals.

“The troops supported by the Air Task Force swiftly responded to the attack, killing 16 insurgents and capturing two gun trucks abandoned by the insurgents, as they tried to escape having been overwhelmed by the superior firepower from the troops,” Nwachukwu said.

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He added that the troops recovered 163 rounds of Anti-Aircraft Gun Ammunition from the insurgents.

However, he disclosed that four civilians and a soldier sustained injuries in the encounter.

He said the injured were promptly evacuated to a military hospital in the state where they were receiving medical attention.

Nwachukwu noted that the operational base was consequently reinforced with additional troops while fighting patrols were on the trail of the insurgents who fled the attack.

He added that normalcy has been restored in the village and urged the people of Monguno LGA to go about their normal business without fear.

The army also urged the people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious person or activity to the nearest security agency.