40 Soldiers Killed, 65 Missing in a 'Surprise' Attack by Boko Haram Fighters

No fewer than 40 Nigerian soldiers  were
killed and the whereabouts of 65 others
were unknown in a deadly assault by
suspected Boko Haram members in the
sect’s stronghold in Borno state.
Various defence sources conveyed the
information to PREMIUM TIMES, adding
that the army authorities are outraged by
the insurgents’ strike, and have ordered
an investigation into the suspected
operation blunder that gave the militants
such an upper hand. The commanding
officer of the unit that carried out the
operation has now been removed from
his post, officials say.
The casualty, one of the heaviest for the
military in its campaign against the
militant group in Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa states, occurred along the
Baga – Maiduguri road on Friday,
September 13, 2013. Presumably it
happened due to a ‘classic’ case
operational and communication failure.
A detachment of soldiers under the 134 Battalion of the 12 Brigade under the Multi National Joint Task Force, MNJTF,stationed in Kangarwa village in Kukawa local government, had conducted a
reconnaissance to gather intelligence
around the area, during which they
established the presence of previously unnoticed Boko Haram camps. The soldiers returned to their base and filed a report recommending aerial bombardment of the area, preparatory for a ground operation by troops. But that plan was cancelled at the final minutes by
an unnamed top official without formal communication to the more than 100 troops that had already advanced on the area. So the soldiers rushed to the terrorists’ stronghold without knowing that the aerial bombardment had been cancelled.
The soldiers were trapped in the ambush under heavy fire from the militants who had surrounded the area, leaving at least 40 soldiers killed. Some 65 others have remained missing. The insurgents were able to recover a huge cache of weapons from the deceased and run-away soldiers. As with past failures that ended in bloodshed and heavy casualty against the military,authorities have struggled to place a lid on the incident. But a top security source confirmed the incident and said the army headquarters have ordered an investigation. The recent attack came less than two months after a similar miscalculation on
August 4 which also resulted in a heavy casualty following a similar surprise  attack by Boko Haram on a camp at Malam Fatori.

BOKO