Nigerian Army Battle To Liberate Gwoza From Boko Haram

Nigerian Army have launched an operation to recapture Gwoza border town in Borno State from Boko Haram fighters on August 14, 2014, Wednesday. However, as the battled raged, the
Islamists have stiсken in another direction, killing 20 people in Doro Baga, Kukawa local government area of Borno State.
An undisclosed military source from Abuja informed SaharaReporters that the troops were sent on a mission to liberate the town. The soldiers were mostly drafted from Mubi, Adamawa State, and the capital city of Borno, Maiduguri.
The officer noted that the operation is being supported by Air Force units and Special Forces, adding even more confidence to the commanders of neutralising all the insurgents in the area in the coming hours or days.
“Over 1000 soldiers are involved in this operation to take Gwoza back from Boko Haram,” the military source said.
However, some of the soldiers, who spoke on conditions of anonymity with the newsmen, pointed out that tactical errors and lack of comminication capabilites of army’s armoured vehicles were the root of previous defeat in Gwoza.
“The front tank suddenly turned back when its weaponry malfunctioned,” a soldier said, adding that troops decided to retreat unable to figure out the reason for the sudden turn around, while it should have been better to position the three other tanks behind to engage Boko Haram fighters.
A resident of Bama, a town situated about 56km (35 miles) from Gwoza, narrated that he had observed a large contingent of troops moving towards Gwoza in the last 24 hours. He also stated that he had heard gunfire overnight.
The embattled villagers of Kukawa LGA, however, confirmed that the militants, apart from killing up to 20 innocent people this morning, kidnapped several women during the assault.
It would be recalled that Boko Haram allegedly killed about at least 100 people, including the wife of the town’s emir, his brother, and the chief Imam of Gwoza, during the seizure of the town last week.
A couple of days later, in the same area, the insurgents overwhelmed the troops again. In that battle the insurgents have allegedly captured an officer, a tank and its driver, burning two more tanks.