Boko Haram launches fresh attack in Baga, kills 2 soldiers

by Ranti Joseph

Boko-Haram

Boko Haram launched a rocket attack on a military vehicle in the northeast town of Baga thereby killing two soldiers. Six other soldiers and a civilian vigilante were critically injured when their vehicle hit a mine planted by the Islamists just outside the town in Borno state on Sunday, they added.

The attack and the mine explosion happened on Tuesday as the military escorted some 1,200 people from Baga on a brief return visit to their hometown from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.

“Boko Haram fired a rocket-propelled grenade on a military van in an ambush in Baga which killed two soldiers and destroyed the vehicle,” said Karimbe Maina, a resident.

The soldiers were driving back to their base outside Baga to mobilise more troops to help drag an armoured vehicle stuck in the mud across town on the shores of Lake Chad, he added.

A vigilante, Haruna Shuaibu said after the attack that killed two soldiers there was a prolonged gun battle ‎between soldiers and the Boko Haram gunmen, which forced the gunmen to flee.

The attack disrupted the tour, forcing the residents to leave their badly damaged and pillaged town as quickly as possible, Bulama who was on the visit explained.

The visit was initially planned for Sunday but was temporarily stalled after a military vehicle set off a mine in Kauyen Kuros village, six kilometres from Baga.

“We had to spend the night in Kauyen Kuros as a result of the explosion which injured six soldiers and a member of the civilian vigilantes giving security cover to the convoy,” said Bulama.‎

“Boko Haram are still in the bushes around Baga and move in and out of the town unchallenged because soldiers confine themselves to their base in Mile 4 and only carry periodic patrols of the town,” said Maina.

Bulama added: “The area is still not safe. Boko Haram are very much around in the surrounding areas. No one should contemplate moving back into the area because it is dangerous‎.”

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail