411 Boko Haram fighters killed in Borno air strike

By Grace Nwankwo

About 411 members of the Boko Haram sect were killed in an air strike carried out by the military on Saturday in remote areas in northern Borno.

Some local hunters and members of the volunteer youth groups known as Civilian JTF who are working with the military in the fight against insurgency in the state, told our correspondent yesterday in Maiduguri that the airstrike took place around forested areas in Gudumbali village.

There, the insurgents were said to have been gathering for two weeks, stationing hundreds of the sect members at some of their camps located there, for a mission to lunch coordinated attacks.

“A military fighter jet had on Saturday destroyed all the nine camps of members of the Boko Haram sect, killing about 350 of them,” a Civilian JTF personnel said.

Elsewhere in Musune village of Dikwa Local Government Area of the state, 61 more Boko Haram militants were also killed by the military.

A guard at the Dikwa Government Lodge, Mallam Harun Ahmed said, “On Friday, the soldiers laid an ambush on the insurgents, killing 61 and recovering many weapons.

At Marte lga military base, nine soldiers were said to have been killed by some gunmen who launched an attack on the base. “On Thursday around 5:00pm, the gunmen just appeared there shooting sporadically. Nine to 11 soldiers have lost their lives while many have sustained injuries,” a youth vigilante said.

There was no official confirmation from the military or any security agency by press time.