The Nigerian Army on Thursday said 19 soldiers and three civilian joint task force members were wounded in a Boko Haram ambush at Guro Gongon village, Borno.
A statement issued in Abuja by Army spokesman, Sani Usman, said an undisclosed number of insurgents were killed during gun duel with troops.
He said the incident occurred while the troops were returning to their defensive positions after a clearance patrol at Guro Gongon village and environs.
Usman said while the wounded soldiers were responding to treatment, a search and rescue party comprising Special Forces personnel had been dispatched to the area to find missing soldiers.
“Today morning, troops destroyed the terrorists’ makeshift camps and recovered quite a number of weapons, equipment and foodstuff in the process.
“The recovered items include one Gun truck mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun, a MOWAG Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), one Rocket Propelled Grenade Tube, one Light Machine Gun, three AK-47 rifles and motorcycles.
“However, the gallant soldiers who are basking on the success recorded in the operation, while returning to their defensive locations, ran into ambush mounted by a group of Boko Haram terrorists who came to reinforce their fleeing comrades.
“The troops fought back gallantly, killing several insurgents. However, 19 soldiers and three civilian JTF members were wounded, while a few others were missing in action,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the army spokesman as saying in the statement.
Culled from: The Nation Newspaper
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