Army kills dozens of Boko Haram terrorists in Yobe

Troops also recovered five gun trucks, one vehicle blinde leger (VBL), and an assorted quantity of ammunition.

Troops of the Nigerian Army have killed dozens of Boko Haram terrorists during an ambush in Goniri, Yobe State on Wednesday, June 26.

The terrorists had attempted to infiltrate the position of the 120 Task Force Battalion, Sector 2 Operation Lafiya Dole late on Wednesday when they were neutralised by troops, according to a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa.

"Troops of the Battalion, in a professional manner, tactically waited for the terrorists to close into the killing range and opened heavy volume of fire on the criminals who approached the location with 7 gun trucks and several other fighters on motorcycles," the statement read.

Troops recovered five gun trucks, one vehicle blinde leger (VBL), and an assorted quantity of ammunition. An unconfirmed number of motorcycles were also destroyed.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has commended troops for their recent successes against the terrorists and charged them to sustain and upscale the tempo of the operation.

"He (Buratai) enjoined troops to be more vigilant and assured them of continuous support to ensure the looming defeat of the dying Boko Haram terrorists and the eventual destruction of fledgling Islamic State West Africa Province battling to establish dominant presence in Nigeria," Col. Musa said.

Since Boko Haram's insurgency escalated in 2009, it has killed around 30,000 people and displaced millions in the northeast region, with its operations also extending to border countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Even though the powers of the Abubakar Shekau-led main faction of Boko Haram has been on the wane in the past couple of years, another faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has grown in influence and carried out several savage attacks on military bases since last year.