Boko Haram Retreats As Nigerian Military Reclaims Bama Town

Due to fierce aerial bombardments carried out by the Nigerian Military, the Boko Haram insurgents that had hitherto occupied Bama in Borno State have beat a retreat. The insurgents, who last Monday declared a Caliphate in the captured area, could not withstand the aerial bombardment and had to leave the town Saturday night.

This was confirmed by sources in the Nigerian Military in Maiduguri, the state capital on Sunday. According to one of the sources, “our tactical aerial attacks to reclaim this town had been effective and yielding the desired results. This will enable the fleeing residents and villagers to return within the shortest period of time.”

“But the weekend battle however took a heavy toll on civilian lives and property as the insurgents were said to be embedded with residents, allegedly used as human shields if the military launches any attack on the occupied town,” according to Mustapha Modu, who is now taking refuge in Maiduguri.

The source further narrated how the Military reclaimed Bama:

“The first attacks didn’t really make the expected impact but the second round of bombardment really injured those Boko Haram boys, which is why they are retreating now. They are no deeper into Bama, while our people are advancing and gaining territory. The Boko Haram boys are right now
retreating.

“We are now dislodging them. You know, Air Force have intensified their efforts; they brought F-7 and different kinds of aircraft. They really bombarded them.”

Another source in the Military also confirmed what the first source said:

“still very volatile” with Gwoza, Gambouru, Wulgo and one or two town in northern Borno, are far from being liberated from the terrorists’ takeover in the last three months.

“We don’t want to say anything official but there are still fights going on in different places and on different scales, especially by air. This is a critical and unusual time,” the senior military officer said.

Shedding more light on how the operation was carried out, the source revealed that apart from the apart from the aerial bombardment in Bama, the Nigerian Air Force had been effective in support of the ground forces with the launch of air attacks with different aircraft types, including helicopter gunships.

He said: “We are very deeply involved. You know what we are having here is a joint operation of the services, even though the Navy may not be involved right now because of the terrain.

“First and foremost, apart from the airlift, we are equally supporting the ground forces; in most of the cases we even take the initiative.

In modern warfare, Air Force normally does the first dirty job, clear the road for the Army to do the mop up operations.

“Like I said, all our platforms are participating fully here. We have Alpha Jets, we have F7, Beechcraft, Mi35, which is the gunships, and then all our transport planes: C-130, the G TripleT. So we are participating fully and playing a significant role in that place.”

According to a Military intelligence source in Maiduguri; “Gwoza is still a no-go area, I must tell you the truth, as the town is firmly in hands of the Boko Haram terrorists. We are currently focusing on Bama before advancing to other areas in northern and southern parts of Borno state.”

Sources within the military also blamed some of the difficulties being encountered in the fight against Boko Haram on what they term indiscriminate retirement of experienced officers.

“Our capital city of Maiduguri is today facing a heavy influx of refugees from the local government areas in Borno. Borno citizens have been forced to take refuge in parts of Gombe and Adamawa states mainly on account of man’s inhumanity to fellow man in the gratuitous name of religion. These acts are absolutely condemn able in the strongest of
terms,” said the military officer.

However, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state in his state-wide broadcast Saturday said: “In the history of Borno State since the 19th century, the latest insurgency was “not the first threat to our existence as a people. We had faced and survived threats in years past and we shall survive this by God’s willing.

“We are confident of victory through a reinforcement of our Armed Forces and the collective will of all of us, citizens, who are committed to defeating the Boko Haram scourge.”