48 Boko Haram terrorists killed in military action in Nigeria

Abuja: – Forty-eight Boko Haram terrorists were killed in action taken by the Nigerian military in the Sahel region of Africa. This is the biggest action taken against the terrorist organisation Boko Haram in the year 2019. Only two days ago, it was reported that 80 terrorists were killed in action taken by the Burkina Faso military.

Since the past few years, there has been an increase in the presence of terrorist organisations in the Sahel region in West Africa. Along with the leading terrorist organisations like IS and Al Qaeda, a few of their affiliate groups also have become active in the Sahel countries. Regional terrorist organisations like Boko Haram are active in Nigeria and other countries for more than a decade and their influence is seen to be consistently increasing.

It is said that one of the factions in Boko Haram is connected to the terrorist organisation IS. As claimed by the local sources, this IS-affiliated group has increased the intensity of attacks to increase its strength. Sources said that primary targets of this group are military bases and security agencies. The Nigerian military has not gained any success in retaliating against them with the same force till date.

This action taken at Biu in the Borno region was a major morale booster for the military. The Boko Haram terrorists were trying to attack the Biu town on Monday and Tuesday. Two people were killed while 13 were injured in these attacks. After these attacks, the Nigerian military and the local groups received an intel that the Boko Haram terrorists were regrouping for a fresh attack.

Therefore, the Nigerian military and the local groups could retaliate strongly against the Boko Haram terrorists during the attack that followed. After a few hours of the encounter, the terrorists started fleeing, but they were chased down and attacked. The locals informed that nearly 48 terrorists were killed in action. A few of the Boko Haram terrorists were also arrested.

Boko Haram has consistently carried out terror attacks in various parts of Nigeria and nearly 500 people have been killed in these attacks. Several soldiers have lost their lives. The opposition and the other African countries were criticising that the Nigerian government has failed in containing the attacks by Boko Haram. Against this background, the success in the Biu action will prove vital for the Nigerian military and will provide the necessary impetus to the counter-terrorism campaign.