40 Soldiers Killed, 65 Missing in a 'Surprise' Attack by Boko Haram Fighters
No
fewer than 40 Nigerian soldiers were killed and the whereabouts of 65
others were unknown in a deadly assault by suspected Boko Haram members
in the sect’s stronghold in Borno state.
Various
defence sources conveyed the information to PREMIUM TIMES, adding that
the army authorities are outraged by the insurgents’ strike, 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, 2013. Presumably it
happened due to 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.
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. So the soldiers rushed to the
terrorists’ stronghold without knowing that the aerial bombardment had
been cancelled.
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. The insurgents were able to recover a
huge cache of weapons from the deceased and run-away soldiers.
As
with past failures that ended in bloodshed and heavy casualty against
the military, authorities have struggled to place a lid on the incident.
But a top security source confirmed the incident and said the army headquarters have ordered an investigation.
The recent 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.
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