Military pounds more Boko Haram targets

Following the continued push by the military to recapture all territories occupied by Boko Haram fighters, troops on cordon and search, along Djimitillo- Damaturu Road, Yobe State engaged in fierce battle, at the weekend, with fighters suspected to be members of the Islamist group, after their hideout was discovered. At Gulak, the headquarters of Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, an attempt by some fighters to blow up a bridge to stop the military’s advance, according to sources, was foiled as the troops, backed by air power, routed the Boko Haram insurgents. The fierce fight to dislodge the fighters from the hideout along Djimtillo-Damaturu Road, close to a market, was said to have resulted in the capture of a cache of arms including several machine guns and rifles while scores of the fighters were killed. A statement from the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) noted that many of the fighters died in the resultant fire that gutted the house where they had made their base. During the encounter, a soldier was reportedly killed while another was wounded and was said to be undergoing treatment. In the Gulak encounter troops, in pursuit of fighters, according to an account, caught up with some of them who were in the process of blowing up a bridge to deter troops advance. Some of the fighters were not lucky as they died in the battle. “The troops are continuing with cordon and search of the town and environs after overpowering the terrorists”, the DHQ statement said. “A lot of arms have been recovered in the process. Troops are also dismantling the terrorist group’s flags hoisted in the liberated towns”.