In a major success that will serve to boost morale and restore some confidence in its capablity, the Nigerian military has finally reclaimed Gwoza previously occupied by the terrorist Boko Haram for nearly a year, with the sacking of the sect from the town yesterday morning The Borno State town was hitherto the headquarters of the self-declared caliphate of the islamist sect. The military's triumph is coming on the heels of President Goodluck Jonathan's promise to liberate Gwoza by yesterday morning. The President in a swift response commended the gallantry of the soldiers for restoring Nigeria's territorial integrity. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) announced the recapture of what is regarded as the last frontier of Boko Haram through their twitter handle @DefenceInfoNG.
The short message reads: "Troops this morning captured Gwoza destroying the headquarters of the terrorists self-styled Caliphate. Several terrorists died while many were captured. Mopping up of entire Gwoza and her suburbs is ongoing." This was further confirmed during a press briefing by the Spokespersons of the three services and DHQ, anchored by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade. Olukolade announced: "Just this morning, the gallant troops of the Nigerian military in a concerted and well-coordinated land and air operations liberated Gwoza, the headquarters of their so-called caliphate which they renamed 'darul hikima." He said that this was preceded by successive sack of terrorists from towns and villages leading to Gwoza, which was their main target. "Several of the terrorists have died and many of them captured in the process. A lot of arms and ammunition have been recovered and the administrative Headquarters completely destroyed", he stated. The Defence Spokesman disclosed that a massive cordon and search operation had commenced to locate any of the fleeing terrorists or hostages in their custody. Even though he did not make reference to the whereabouts of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau or the Chibok girls, the DDI however assured that the operations would be extended to the border areas where the decimated terrorists are fleeing to. "Our subsequent mission is to fish out any other vestiges of the terrorists or wherever they may be existing within the country or around," he noted. As at yesterday, Olukolade said, the military had been able to take over virtually all the enclaves and hideouts where the terrorists were marauding. "It is observed that some of the terrorists are currently fleeing towards border areas.
The fleeing terrorists will expectedly run into subsequent encounter with contingents of partners in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) who have been mandated to contain them accordingly," he said. Speaking further, he assured that the mop-up operation in Gwoza and other liberated areas would continue in order to ensure that no vestiges of terrorists or terrorism remain in our country. He said: "The Nigerian military and security agencies therefore thank Nigerians and our partners in the sub-region who have consistently encouraged and supported us in the course of these operations. "The military is more than ever before determined to once and for all stamp out every trace of terrorism and insecurity in our country. All citizens are urged to remain vigilant and report every movement or assemblage of suspicious characters to the security forces so that 'Never Again' shall the evil elements re-group to terrorize or cause mayhem in our country." Olukolade displayed a list of about 56 towns, communities and villages that had been recaptured from the Boko Haram terrorists in recent weeks.
He however clarified that the liberated towns were over 100 and further assured that few remaining border towns including Askra Uba, Kazamala, and Kaza Balga would be liberated in conjunction with the neighbouring countries of Chad, Cameroun and Niger. According to him, the deployment of MNJTF denied the terrorists the freedom of action they had hitherto enjoyed and they resorted to diversionary tactics known with terrorist groups around the world by carrying out isolated attacks and bombings. "The series of deployment and operational effectiveness of the military were however challenged by the porosity of the borders, which gave the terrorists leverage to operate in Nigeria and retreat into safe havens in neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon," he noted. Olukolade emphasized that the recent reinvigoration of a partnership between Nigeria and these neighbouring countries under the auspices of MNJTF provided the desired response to the challenge, "as these border areas that hitherto served as hideouts for the terrorists have been actively dominated by troops in the MNJTF." "This development decimated the fighting capabilities of the terrorists, as the Nigerian military carries out a final onslaught on the nation's enemy within the country. These successful operations have culminated in the dislodgment of terrorists from towns and communities in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states," he said. Olukolade further clarified that according to the arrangement with the MNJTF leading to the recent onslaught, "the major mission assigned to the Nigerian troops has been completed, remaining mopping up operations." He noted that the border towns being assigned to other countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission are being handled accordingly. "This mission is combined and the important ones have been cleared.
The one that are very crucial to us have been knocked off. It has been a combined efforts and all we can tell you is that the epicentre of the terrorists have been decimated," he stated. Jonathan Commends troops... Meanwhile, President Jonathan has commended Nigerian soldiers for liberating the entire North-east from the insurgents, with the recapture of Gwoza yesterday. The president spoke during the nationwide broadcast on the 2015 elections yesterday. He said: "We are also glad that our gallant Armed Forces have successfully stemmed the seizure of Nigerian territories in the North-East by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. "They have recaptured most of the communities and territories formerly occupied by the insurgents, making it possible for thousands of internally-displaced Nigerians to begin returning to their homes and communities. "I heartily commend the very courageous men and women of our Armed Forces for the immense sacrifices which they continue to make in defending the nation and protecting its citizens. "I also thank all Nigerians for keeping faith with us over the past six weeks.
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