Terrorists kill General, 17 soldiers in Borno
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Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah and 17 soldiers paid the supreme price early Thursday in coordinated attacks by suspected members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) on military formations in Benisheikh, Kaga Local Government Area, as well as Ngamdu and Pulka town in the Gwoza LGA of Borno State. The late Brig. Gen. Braimah was Brigade Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh. The insurgents reportedly invaded the three military formations with heavy gunfire and explosives, killing at least 18 soldiers and officers, including the General, and leaving several others critically injured. Local sources in Benisheikh town told Daily Trust that the insurgents reportedly fired at the military facility sporadically, causing numerous casualties. “The brigade commander, his second-in-command and the Imam of the Brigade, as well as several officers and soldiers, were killed in the attack that lasted several hours,” several sources told our correspondent. Why ADC is not bothered about INEC’s claims – Nwosu Bandits kill medical officer, 5 others in Zamfara They explained that civilians, other security operatives and scores of ISWAP terrorists were also killed during the simultaneous midnight attacks. According to sources, the insurgents attacked Benisheikh town at about 1am on Thursday and set many trucks and commercial vehicles ablaze. The assailants reportedly killed motorists and passengers, who were in transit and stopped to pass the night in the town, due to the routine closure of the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road in the evening. “Many insurgents were also killed by troops in Benesheikh. Unfortunately, some security personnel, including the brigade commander paid the supreme price, and several vehicles were carted away by the terrorists,” a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed. In a Facebook post, a resident of Benisheikh, Malam Lawal Benisheikh wrote, “Innalillahi wa Inna’illaihin raji’un. Boko Haram has again, unfortunately, succeeded in eliminating the commanding officer of Benishiehk. “This unfortunate incident occurred last night (Thursday) when the insurgents stormed the military formation in numbers. May the souls of the fallen heroes rest in peace.” Other locals said the terrorists first launched the attack in Pulka and Bakin Ruwa, both in Gwoza LGA, at about 10:30pm on Wednesday, where they overran a military base, setting several pieces of hardware ablaze. “Then at about 1am, the terrorists launched another attack on Benisheikh and Ngamdu towns, and overran the 29 Task Force Brigade, destroying several military vehicles,” one of the sources said. According to reports, the terrorists also looted food items from shops in Pulka town, and destroyed other facilities, including machines and equipment of a road construction firm, Decency Associates, where they set ablaze vehicles worth hundreds of millions of naira. Daily Trust reports that Pulka currently hosts thousands of displaced people ...