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Tag: boko haram

  • Student dies as soldiers battle Boko Haram

    Student dies as soldiers battle Boko Haram

    A student of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) was killed last Friday when the school came under fire during a clash between soldiers and Boko Haram insurgents. The insurgents had attempted to rescue their detained colleagues in the nearby Giwa Barracks. TAIWO ISOLA (300-Level Human Anatomy) reports.

    A student of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in Borno State was killed as soldiers and Boko Haram insurgents clashed last Friday. The insurgents had attempted to rescue their detained colleagues in the nearby Giwa Barracks.

    The victim, a direct entry student, was hit by bullets in his Tafawa Balewa Hostel. He was said to have resumed a few days ago. His body was brought to the university’s Central Mosque on Saturday for Janazah prayer and burial according to Islamic rites.

    A 400-Level Adult Education student, Abdulmumini Abubakar, was also hit by a bullet while going to the campus for a lecture in a taxi. He is at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Other students injured in the melee were taken to the university clinic.

    Guns boomed for several hours as the university was caught in the crossfire. About 60 insurgents were killed. A deafening explosion rocked the campus during the clash. Rocket launchers fired by the sect members shattered the louvers and ceiling of the ETF Building.

    Students going for lecture ran back to their hostels when the building was hit. Those in lecture rooms ran in different directions. During the battle, the university was tense; students hid in wardrobes and toilets.

    A 300-Level Accountancy student, who was at the Science Complex when a rocket launcher hit the building, said: “We were in class when we heard a deafening sound. The hall was shaken. We even thought the explosion happened right behind us because of the bang. We all fled in different directions.”

    Students were frightened, with many thinking that the insurgents had invaded the campus. Some students ran towards the University Gate 5, which leads to Mairi, a neighboring community.

    A student, whose school bag was strapped to his back as he was leaving the campus, said: “When I heard the second explosion, I lost balance. Immediately, I took my identity card and packed all my credentials and left the campus through Gate 5. We all thought Boko Haram was on the campus.”

    A worshipper in the mosque told CAMPUSLIFE: “It was an emotional moment for us as we said prayers for him. We survived it but he did not. May his soul rest in peace.”

    A graduating female student of the university, Vera Effiong, relived the experience. “I was preparing for lecture when I heard the sound of the explosions. I did not know what was happening. I just broke down in tears. I did not know what to do or where to run to. I just lay flat under my bunk, prayed to God and confessed my sins. Then, I waited for the horror. As at that time, all my roommates had fled the hostel but I didn’t know where to run to.”

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that there were three explosions on the campus. The ETF 09 Hall was damaged by the explosions. The building was hit by bullets and grenade. One side of the hall was ripped open; there are bullet holes on the wall and metal door.

    Though no student was in the hall when it was hit by the grenade, an Anatomy student in the College of Medical Sciences, which is close to ETF Hall, said: “I was in class, preparing for a lecture billed for 8am. The explosion went off a few minutes before the lecture time. Everywhere vibrated and all of us ran out of the college.”

    Paul Archippus, who witnessed the explosion in the commercial area of the campus, said: “I was leaving the barber’s shop when the explosion occurred. Traders left their wares and fled. But nobody was affected because the explosion was on an open field.”

    While the campus was in confusion, Civilian JTF, a volunteer group of Maiduguri residents, arrived the school, with weapons, such as arrows, spears, knives and spiked sticks. They surrounded the perimeter fence of the school back gate, looking for the fleeing Boko Haram members. Soldiers manned the main gate to prevent insurgents from entering the school.

    A student living in 303 Housing Estate, a residential area adjacent to the university gate, said: “For about three hours, there was a rain of bullets on our roofs; some penetrated the ceiling. We hid ourselves under the bed to prevent being hit.”

    The halls of the male hostel were riddled with bullets. A female student said nobody could move during the gun battle. Another student, Elizabeth Alao, said a bullet landed at her hostel’s corridor. She said a female student was hit by a stray bullet.

    Social and religious activities scheduled for the day were cancelled. Occupants of Titanic Hll could not sleep. They kept vigil. Some brought their mattresses to the hostel’s entrance.

    After the incident, the university’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Alhaji Buba Usman, urged students to remain calm, saying there was no cause for alarm. Its spokesman, Ahmed Mohammed, said the school would not be closed down, since there was no direct attack on the campus.

    As at the time of filing this report, students could no longer go for night reading because of the fear of the fleeing insurgents, who they said could come back.

     

  • Dialogue now or get crushed, Minimah tells Boko Haram

    Dialogue now or get crushed, Minimah tells Boko Haram

    Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, the Chief of Army Staff (CAS), on Wednesday, advised Boko Haram insurgents to embrace dialogue now or get crushed by the military.

    Minimah gave the advice when he spoke with newsmen shortly after an unscheduled visit to Maiduguri.

    “The dialogue table is still open, or else the federal might is available to the armed forces to crush the insurgency,’’ he stressed.

    Minimah was accompanied on the visit by the Chief of Air Staff, Air vice Marshal Adesola Amosu.

    He explained that the visit was aimed at assessing the condition of troops on ground as well as boosting their morale in the fight against the insurgents.

    “We are here on routine visit to assess the condition of our troops, to visit the injured and the wounded in the hospital,’’ Minimah said.

    He urged Nigerians to trust the capability of the military to bring an end to the insurgency.

    On his part, the Chief of Air Staff, AVM Adesola Amosu, said the role of air power is not to destroy but to convince the enemy of the second option available.

    “Essentially, we are here to harass the enemy and to convince them that they need to come either to the table or drop their guns’’, Amosu said.

    He expressed satisfaction with the situation on ground.

    “We are happy with the morale of soldiers on the field, we are also happy about the damage we have already inflicted on the insurgents.

    “The soldiers are in high spirit. I am sure our coming today has further lifted them up’’, Amosu said.

    He said the Nigerian Air Force was to complement the role of the military in the fight.

  • Boko Haram: 13 Northern governors seek help in Washington

    Boko Haram: 13 Northern governors seek help in Washington

    Thirteen governors of the North are in the United States searching for help against the Boko Haram insurgency.

    They met yesterday for eight hours at the United States Peace Institute and the State Department in Washington DC. with U.S. government officials and representatives of Norway and Denmark.

    Details of the first round of the closed-door meeting, which was sponsored by the U.S. government in collaboration with the governments of Norway and Denmark, could not be obtained last night.

    The meetings are expected to continue till tomorrow.

    The Peace Institute said the biggest issue discussed was how Nigeria could overcome the Boko Haram insurgency, especially through education and economic investments.

    Other issues discussed included re-invigorating the U.S. attention on the north, economic investment opportunities in the region, security and challenges of private investments in the region.

    The governors were reportedly given time to dialogue among themselves on the way out of Boko Haram.

    Among the governors in attendance were Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Kashim Shetttima (Borno) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) (Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano).

  • An avoidable friction

    An avoidable friction

    A few weeks ago, precisely on Wednesday, March 5, under the headline: “Wanted: A war cabinet,” this column wrote: “ …The only way out of this quagmire in which the country has been enmeshed all this while is the urgent need for the President to form a war cabinet… A senior cabinet minister must coordinate the ‘war’. As things are now, it may be impossible for the National Security Adviser, NSA, the only person who probably performs the role of coordinating the military interventions in the North-east, to summon any of the head of the services to a meeting – I mean summoning someone like the Chief of Army Staff or the Chief of Air Staff that are both involved in managing the crisis to a meeting – not to talk of the Chief of Defence Staff. They will just ignore him because the NSA is more or less a Staff Officer to the President. That is why there is the need to quickly put a war cabinet in place.”

    This story was featured the very day new ministers were sworn in at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja. And of course, among the new ministers was Lieutenant-General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (retd), who was designated as Defence Minister. Gusau came in to occupy that position which had remained vacant for some time while the insurgency in the northeast of the country rages like harmattan wild fire. A week before, the Boko Haram terrorists had added a bestial dimension to the orgy of bloodletting and brigandage which they have unleashed on innocent Nigerians by massacring sleeping school children at the Federal Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe State.

    Not only that. The terrorists literarily went on a killing-spree in the three Nigeria’s north-east states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno that have been under a state of emergency since May 16, 2013. Apart from the attack on FGC, Buni Yadi, where no fewer than 43 students were killed, they moved to Shuwa, in Magadali Local Government Area of Adamawa state, where a Teachers’ College, a secondary school and a Catholic Covenant were attacked. Next, it was the turn of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and epicentre of the terrorists’ attacks, where a twin-bomb explosion tore through the heart of the city, killing more than 50 people. Other adjoining villages, including Mainok, a village about 50 kilometres from Maiduguri, were not spared. More attacks had followed. It was the spate and ferocity of these attacks, which the terrorists carried out with ease as they moved in and out of hamlets unchallenged, leaving sorrow, tears and blood in their trail, that prompted the call for the formation of a war cabinet to help the government in the successful prosecution of the ‘war’ and bring an end to it with limited casualties.

    Since the publication of the column coincided with the appointment of Gusau as Defence Minister, my thinking was that the government will take a cue from the unsolicited advise the column gave to put things in the right perspective in order to checkmate the festering act of terrorism in that part of the country. But events last week, which allegedly infuriated Gusau, the Defence Minister, did not only confirm my fears about the absence of a centralised and coordinated command and control of the ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the North-east, it has also exposed the lack of appropriate synergy in the whole operation. This is probably why the terrorists appear to be invisible to some extent as they kept on having a semblance of upper hand over the Nigerian security forces that appear to be outgunned, outmanned and overwhelmed.

    The incident of last week also coincided with the day the terrorists had the audacity to mount an attack on Giwa Amu Barracks, a strategic military outpost in Maiduguri. Though the early morning attack proved costly and fatal for the terrorists, it is indeed a sign of the times. Reports have it that a Shilka Tank, a military artillery weapon that was strategically stationed to ward off attacks on the barracks, actually failed to fire when the terrorists attempted to swoop on the barracks ostensibly to pave way for the release of their comrades-in-crime numbering well over 250, who were detained at the military formation. The soldiers were said to have fallen back on other weapons to defend the barracks and subsequently repelled the invaders.

    Though they were successfully driven back, the terrorists were said to have torched the MRS, the traditional medical facility within the barracks as well as the detention facility but no detainees were freed. The detention facility is believed to be holding some highly placed terrorists’ commanders and therefore, their colleagues will prefer them dead than volunteer useful information to the security agents. Besides, the terrorists’ camp is said to have been seriously depleted by recent military onslaughts on their hideouts and so, they are badly in need of replenishment to boost their dwindling fighting capabilities.

    The temerity of the terrorists may have been halted for now, but the recent embarrassment suffered by Gusau so soon after assuming duty as well as the unrelenting terrorists’ campaign in the North-east has again brought into focus the call for the formation of a “war cabinet” to tackle the menace of these terrorists. There must be someone to bring everybody together. The present hierarchical arrangement, in which all the service chiefs have access to the President, is not helping matters. It must be properly structured. It is a good thing that Alex Badeh, an Air Marshal and Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, has quickly made up with Gusau, but the integral roles of the CDS and the service chiefs must be clearly defined to avoid any friction in the future. The Service Chiefs must be responsible to the CDS, while the CDS in turn is responsible to the Defence Minister; and the Defence Minister will then interface with the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

    Unfortunately, what has hitherto been in place is a wrong system whereby the Defence Minister was more or less sidelined in the scheme of things. Also, what had been in place is a figure-head CDS, who was supposed to coordinate the services on paper but nobody reports to him as even the President could summon any of the service chiefs without recourse to the CDS. This is wrong. For instance, the CDS does not know the budget of the defence. The common practice is that individual services – Army, Navy, Air Force – prepares their budgets and go ahead to the National Assembly to defend same without any iota of involvement by the CDS. The proper thing to do is that the CDS should present the budget and then go to the National Assembly to defend it. In other words, the CDS should coordinate the activities of the services and serve as a link between with the Defence Minister.

    Furthermore, we could achieve a better result if the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, is merged with the Ministry of Defence, with a mixture of soldiers and civilians working together instead of the present situation where only civilians sit in the Defence Ministry and award all manners of contracts which are not even required by the DHQ. I have no doubt whatsoever that the present Defence Minister parades excellent credentials and experience to steer the country through this turbulent period if only the government can do the needful. It is exigent to have somebody in charge because, as it is, it is clear that the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign lacks proper coordination as a result of the absence of a synergy among the security agencies in the country. What easily come to mind are the United States’ Department of Homeland Security and the Counter-terrorism Strategy in the United Kingdom, two agencies that are solely devoted to checkmate terrorism and terrorists’ activities in both countries.

    In the alternative, the government could appoint somebody in the mould of the coordinating Minister of Finance to coordinate this anti-terrorism war. If the government wishes, the person could be called Minister for Counter-terrorism or even Minister for Boko Haram.

  • Borno closes 85 schools

    •100,000 pupils affected

    The Borno State government has ordered the closure of all high schools amid fears of attacks by Boko Haram, school officials and teachers have confirmed.

    Some 100,000 pupils in 85 schools are affected.

    The closures point to the military’s failure to suppress an Islamic uprising in the Northeast and may be considered a victory by Boko Haram, whose nickname means “Western education is forbidden.”

    Officials and teachers spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired.

    They said closures were supposed to happen on Friday but were delayed by extremists attacking the army barracks in Maiduguri, the state capital, and freeing dozens of detained fighters.

     

  • The dilemma of a nation

    SIR: Nigeria is undoubtedly a country with great promise. On account of her favourable weather conditions and rich supply of natural resources, Nigeria was once described by a good friend of mine as a country situated in the heart of God. However, in the same piece, she was quick to lament the woes of Africa’s second largest economy calling her, among other things, “My sweet country where NOTHING works”. And that’s where the dilemma is. As much as we cannot deny Nigeria’s potential to become one of the most desirable nations to live in, we also cannot shy away from our pervasive challenges.

    One problem that has especially bothered me over time is our value system which seems to have little respect for human dignity and the sanctity of human life. Needless loss of lives does not seem to bother us anymore. When we’re not talking about the destruction being wreaked by Boko Haram, we’re discussing the havoc being inflicted by Fulani herdsmen. That is not to mention police brutality, illegal detention, dehumanising condition of our prisons and various acts of subjugation.

    In November 2013, at least 25 people lost their lives while apparently trying to invoke the beggarly generosity of a politician. Now, some folks are capitalising on the challenge of unemployment to waste our youths. And the youths themselves are too blind to see. While the Nigerian Immigrations Service has been in the spotlight as a result of the tragedy that attended its ill-advised recruitment test over the weekend, a cursory inspection will reveal that many other government agencies and privately-owned firms are equally culpable.

    When are we going to develop value for human life in this nation? When are we going to stop treating people with indignity? When are the “masses” going to stop running after every foolish scheme like hungry dogs scrambling for dry bones? When are we going to ditch the lie that we are “the masses” and wake up to the reality of our true identity as plenipotentiaries of the Most High God?

    We have wallowed in the mud of greed, selfishness and corruption for too long; and this has robbed us of our collective power as a people. As a nation, we have allowed a few bad eggs to spoil our omelette. Now is the time to stop playing the fool and start living out our true identity as the great nation that we are. Change is imminent. A revolution is underway. We cannot avoid it.

    • Philip Amiola,

    amioladeep@gmail.com

     

  • Boko Haram: North’s governors meet U.S. officials in Washington

    Boko Haram: North’s governors meet U.S. officials in Washington

    •Sect kills two

    •Troops kill 8 in Yobe

    Governors of some states in the North are in Washington to meet with top United States officials to seek the solution to Boko Haram insurgency.

    It could not be ascertained how many of them were already in the United States but Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima and Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda who arrived on Sunday took the opportunity of their early arrival to meet with the world’s richest man, Bill Gates, to get support for their states on polio eradication.

    They were at the headquarters of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation yesterday for the meeting.

    They are expected to meet with White House officials, President Barack Obama, Congresssional leaders, the National Intelligence Council and the European Union (EU) developmental agencies, among others.

    In spite of the search for the solution to the Boko Haram insurgency, there is no let to the sect’s brutality. Suspected members of the sect invaded Pela Birni village in Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State, killing two residents before setting ablaze two churches and many residential houses.

    Pela Birni is one of the populated and remote village under Kwajjafa District in southern Borno with Christian domination, and about few kilometres drive to Garkida town in Adamawa State.

    Witnesses said the gunmen who came to the village on Sunday night bore sophisticated weapons.

    Mallam Musa Anjili Pela Birni said he narrowly escaped being killed by the attackers. The house in which he was sleeping was set ablaze.

    “The gunmen invaded our village at about 10 pm on Sunday, They started shouting Allahu Akbar (God is great). They ordered residents of houses to vacate then before setting the houses on fire.”

    Another resident, who did not want his name in print, told our correspondent that most of the houses near the Church of Brethern were set ablaze. Two people died. Many others were injured.

    The gunmen used AK47 rifles, petrol bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

    Troops operating in the Northeast ambushed a group of terrorists on a mission to penetrate and attack Goniri Community in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe state.

    In a statement  yesterday in Abuja,  Maj.-Gen Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information, said: “Troops are still in pursuit of the fleeing terrorist elements after the encounter which resulted in some casualties on both parties.

    “Rockets and machine guns were freely used by the terrorists who eventually lost over eight of their fighters with several others wounded.

    “ Arms were also captured from the terrorists while others fled.

    “ The troops, however, lost a soldier while an officer was seriously wounded in the encounter, ‘’ he said.

    Goniri is not far from Buni-Yadi where the terrorists killed pupils.

    He said troops, operating around Gamboru Ngala and Dikwa Local Government Area towards the borders of Chad and Cameroun, were busy throughout the weekend.

    He said the weapons recovered in one of the locations include four anti-aircraft guns, five machine guns and over 500 rounds of ammunitions.

  • Nigeria urges Mali, Cameroun, Niger to help crush Boko Haram

    Nigeria yesterday asked neighbouring countries, such as Mali, Cameroun and Niger to collaborate with it in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.

    A statement by Senate President David Mark’s Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, said he (Mark) canvassed for this position at the ongoing 130th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

    Mark, according to the statement, noted that terrorism had grown beyond the confines of a nation, which demanded the collaboration of all nations to combat it.

    He said peace and democracy would promote security.

    The Senate President said emphasis should be on democracy and global peace to facilitate development.

    He was of the view that if all nations cooperated in the fight against insurgency, the perpetrators would have no hiding place.

    The statement quoted the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, as saying that insurgency was threatening and undermining peace.

    He said: “All hands must be on deck to end the menace.”

    Ihedioha urged neighbouring countries to support Nigeria to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

    He said: “Since the civil war ended, never have we had our stability distracted as we have now. We urge countries like Mali, Cameroun, Niger and others to join forces to find a solution to the problem.”

    Ihedioha said “the insurgents ravaging Nigeria are not our citizens, hence the cooperation of other countries has become necessary.”

  • Boko Haram menace plunges insurance in northeast

    The violence launched by Islamist sect, Boko Haram, in the Northeast Zone has made insurance more challenging, the Chairman, Northern Area Committee, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Mr. Gbenga Ogunsanya, has said.

    Ogunsanya, who is also the Managing Director of Charlie Life Insurance brokers Limited, Kaduna, spoke with The Nation in Lagos.

    He, however, said brokers in the north were hopeful with the Takaful and microinsurance that has takenoff in the country.

    According to him, the northerners accept takaful insurance because it is Islamic.

    He said while Kaduna is peaceful, the problem they encounter is mainly in Adamawa and Borno.

    He said: “Investors are also very skeptical when it comes to investment in the north. Business has been quite challenging in the north. Notwithstanding we are doing fairly and are optimistic that things will get better soon.

    “Part of our projects as a committee, is to increase insurance awareness which has been very low in the north. By so doing, we will focus more on enlightening people at the grassroots about the importance and benefits of insurance. We are hoping to do a lot of seminars, public lectures.’’

    He noted that his colleagues would also sensitise the people on how to deal with claims.

    “We have a secretariat in Kaduna area where people can reach us and lodge complaints or issues of malpractices against any of our member or member of a company while we forward the matter to relevant authorities.

    “People need to have value for their money if at all we want them to believe in insurance and this has to be by insurance companies paying claims as at when due,” he said.

  • Battered Boko Haram regroups, death toll rises

    Battered Boko Haram regroups, death toll rises

    •Troops capture sect’s armoury

    •MNJF arrests seven insurgents around Lake Chad

    •Military relocates kingpins out of Maiduguri

    REMNANTS of Boko Haram fighters who were battered in Friday’s ill-fated attack on the Giwa Army Barracks, Maiduguri, yesterday regrouped on the outskirts of the city for a fresh onslaught on the same military facility, but again met with defeat.

    Troops who were on a cordon and search operation at Kayamla and Alu Dam discovered the insurgents.

    A clash soon ensued.

    Many of them were killed with sources putting the death toll on the side of the insurgents at close to 80 between Friday and yesterday.

    The sect also lost a massive armoury which troops discovered to contain a large cache of arms and ammunition.

    The Boko Haram desperation, military sources told The Nation, was to liberate their strategic commanders in custody to prevent them from revealing vital information to the army.

    Security agencies are said to be taking stock of the number of fleeing terrorists who were killed in different parts of Maiduguri metropolis on Friday.

    Seven suspected insurgents were arrested around Lake Chad by the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

    A top military source said of the Boko Haram attack: “What they did was to regroup in Maiduguri to attack our troops because they were desperate to bring down Giwa Army Barracks where some of their commanders and deadly fighters were being detained and interrogated.

    “With the latest encounters, the death toll in the encounters with troops at the barracks will be about 80. The Nigeria Police and emergency agencies should be able to give you the toll in different parts of the city because many insurgents were killed while fleeing or retreating.”

    Explaining why the sect was targeting Giwa Barracks, the source said: “The Boko Haram leaders would rather want their detained members killed than allow them undergo interrogation which could lead to revelations on their modus operandi.

    “No fewer than 20 of their real kingpins or strategic commanders were being kept in the detention facility in Giwa Barracks and they considered it humiliating if they cannot set them free.

    “But they are wasting their time because some of these Boko Haram commanders are in underground cells outside Maiduguri. It is an error on their part to think that we will keep their strategists in such a facility.

    “Thirdly, Boko Haram leaders are worried that those detained might expose the sponsors or financiers of the sect. That was why they came in hundreds to attack Giwa Barracks.”

    The Defence Headquarters, confirming yesterday’s confrontation, in a statement through its spokesman, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said troops clashed with the insurgents in Kayamla and Alu Dam in the outskirts of Maiduguri.

    The DHQ also said a massive armoury of the sect was uncovered by troops with a large cache of arms and ammunition recovered.

    He said: “The large quantities of weapons recovered in the raid are still being evacuated from the scene of the night raid where several terrorists died.

    “Similar operations took place in coordination with the troops of Multi-National Joint Task Force in the raids in other camps located in the outskirts of Duguri, Polkime, Malafatori and other locations around the fringes of Lake Chad.

    “Substantial money in different currencies and denominations were also recovered from the camps. A total of seven terrorists were captured in the operation during which altogether a soldier died while five were wounded.”

    The DHQ also said that in a cordon and search by troops for remnants of the terrorists who attacked Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri yesterday (Friday), had an encounter with some of the surviving terrorists in the general area of Kayamla and Alu Dam in the outskirts of Maiduguri this morning.

    “More of the terrorists have been killed and arrested in the ongoing encounters. Those captured in the encounter are providing useful information towards the discovery of other hide outs of the daring terrorists.”

    More bodies of fleeing terrorists have been discovered along the routes of their escape. Troops morale and fighting spirit have been further boosted by the outcome of the operations so far.