MILITARY commanders have admitted that several soldiers drowned in the Yobe River in Borno State earlier this week when they were fleeing from a Boko Haram attack on their base near the border with Niger Republic.
On Monday, Boko Haram attacked a military outpost in Gashigar, Borno State, near the border with Niger Republic, catching the troops unawares. Although the soldiers fought back gallantly, they were outgunned and eventually had to abandon the position and flee, with a significant loss of life and injuries.
At the moment, no fewer than 22 soldiers are recuperating in a hospital in neighbouring Niger Republic following the attack. Apparently, hundreds of terrorists advanced rapidly towards them, forcing the troops to abandon their position with some diving into the nearby river.
According to the Nigerian Army, the attack was carried out by escaping Boko Haram remnants who still remain active in Borno State. Security sources said that the soldiers, attached to 145 Task Force Battalion, came under attack around 5pm on Monday and a rescue operation did not arrive until the following day.
On Tuesday, three rescue operations were carried out by soldiers from the neighbouring Republic of Niger operating in Ngarwa. Around 7am, they rescued the first set of nine Nigerian soldiers and at about 2pm seven more were rescued, while the last set of six troops were picked up around 5.30pm in the River Komadougou Yobe, which empties into Lake Chad.
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