By Sam Kayode
About six solders two civilian joint task force (Cjtf) and three vigilante hunters lost their lives yesterday after an ambush in Konduga council area.
The insurgents are suspected to have ambushed the military convoy killing the Commander of 202 Tank Battalion Lt col Paiko and some soldiers while advancing into a clearance operation meant to dislodge insurgents operating in a village konduga.
The attack which took place along Kashimri community close to Kanwuri in
Konduga council area of Borno state equally saw the demise of three vigilante members in the reinforcement convoy of troop Commanders.
An impeccable source stated that at least 11 operatives, including the Commander of the Nigerian Army troops, were killed on the spot after the Boko Haram insurgents mounted the ambush at about midday on Friday.
Our source reported that patriotic residents in konduga sighted the criminal elements gathering in the general area close to Kanwuri and reported to the Konduga forward military base for immediate action.
But Konduga for tactical reasons reached out to 202 battalion Bama for reinforcement which was gladly volunteered even as they hit the road running down to flush out the criminals on the clearance operation before driving into the unfortunate ambush.
Our source added that in spite of the casualties, the clearance operation was a success as the insurgents suffered significant losses during the exchange of artillery between own troops and insurgent enemies.
Among those wounded in the resulting cross fire were Commander of 222 Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Iliyasu and a number of personnel said to be missing in action as at the time of writing this report.
The remains of the Commander 202 battalion Bama has since been ferried to Maiduguri, while the Commander Konduga and other wounded troops were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for advanced treatment.
Residents hinted that there was restriction of movement at the Konduga Bama stretch of the main road at about the time of the ambush till the end of the siege.
The Nigerian Army was yet to issue an official statement on the incident as at the time of filing this report.
