Sahara Reporters is reporting that Boko Haram militants may have kidnapped 18 female soldiers in Baga in Borno State. Report below…
Two sources told SaharaReporters that,
out of 26 female soldiers posted to the military base of the
Multinational Joint Task Force, only eight have so far been accounted
for. The commander of the troops in the area, Colonel Kuti, has also
not been found since the insurgents attacked the town on Saturday.
Residents of Baga told our reporters that Boko Haram insurgents invaded
their town and killed at least 55 people, including soldiers attached to
MNJTF.
Both residents and security sources said
the insurgent attack lasted close to 18 hours before the Islamist
terrorists overpowered the troops and seized the military base. One
military source said the attack took them by surprise. He said the
troops made a gallant effort to repel the attack, but that hundreds of
Islamist militants stormed the military base with high-caliber weapons. A
resident revealed that the invading insurgents also burnt down parts of
the fishing town. Bukar Kaka, a fisherman who fled from the town, said
no fewer than 50 villagers, including five soldiers, were killed while
others sustained wounds in the attacks. He said he saw soldiers
fleeing.
A security source said the insurgent
invaders also stormed other neighboring communities, shooting
indiscriminately at people. He added that the militants also destroyed
hundreds of houses and shops, often using fuel and other explosive
devices.
In an interview with the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Senator Maina Ma’aji Lawan confirmed the
insurgents’ attack on Baga and surrounding towns. He added that
military troops and youth volunteers, popularly known as ‘civilian JTF,
had attempted to repel the onslaught, but were overpowered by the
invaders.
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