Landmine kills four soldiers in Borno

Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman

It was a sad day for the military as the Nigerian Army lost an officer and three soldiers to a landmine and an ambush by the Boko Haram in Borno State on Sunday.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a late night statement on Sunday that 16 soldiers and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were also wounded when the troops encountered the landmine between Miyanti and Dareljamal in Borno State.

He said that the troop were on an administrative patrol from Maiduguri when they drove into the landmine and the ambush of the insurgents.

The acting Army Spokesman said that the wounded soldiers and their Civilian JTF counterparts had been evacuated for medical attention and were in a stable condition.

According to him, the troops also recovered ‘a machine gun, one AK-47 rifle and some quantity of ammunition’ from the insurgents.

He added that two vehicles which had the encounter with the IED were badly damaged.

He said, “Today, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole on administration patrol from Maiduguri encountered an Improvised Explosive Device and an ambush between Miyanti and Dareljamal, Borno State.

“The ambush was cleared and three Boko Haram terrorists were killed by the troops. They also recovered a machine gun, an AK-47 rifle and some quantity of ammunition.

“Unfortunately, we lost an officer and three soldiers, while 16 soldiers and three Civilian JTF members sustained injuries during the encounter. Similarly, two vehicles that  encountered the IED were badly damaged.

“The wounded have since been evacuated and are in stable condition.”