Boko Haram insurgents allegedly ambushed and killed an army lieutenant and two vigilante members in the Lake Chad area of Borno State on Saturday.
The attack happened shortly after the military had successfully taken control of the Boko Haram enclave in Krenowa, Marte Local Government Area, five days earlier.
Sources have revealed that the soldiers from the 50 Task Force Brigade were attacked at Krenowa, where they faced heavy bombardment and were forced to retreat.
Initially, the soldiers had advanced to the Boko Haram enclave as part of their efforts to intensify the fight against the terrorists.
However, they encountered intense resistance during the engagement, which led to their withdrawal from Krenowa. Unfortunately, during the retreat, they had to leave behind 12 out of the 15 motorbikes that were deployed for the operation.
A group of soldiers, more than a hundred in number and with multiple gun trucks, had to retreat to Marte town. During the ambush, an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) tank was damaged, and the driver suffered a leg injury.
According to a soldier involved in the operation, they had launched an attack on the terrorists’ hideout but were suddenly fired upon, forcing them to retreat. The soldier suspected that the terrorists had been hiding underground, as there had been no sign of them before the ambush. They sought refuge at the headquarters of the 27 Task Force in Marte town.
The intensity of the insurgents’ firepower made it impossible to immediately recover the bodies of a slain officer, a member of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), and another vigilante member.
