The Defence authorities have said that the troops of the Nigerian Army have captured the Balmo Forest, believed to be one of the major hideouts of insurgents in the North-East.
The Balmo Forest links Borno, Bauchi and Adamawa states and it is said to host some of the training programmes of the insurgents.
The Defence authorities said in some tweets posted on the twitter handle of the military on Tuesday that 20 insurgents were killed with an unspecified number injured in the fierce encounter to capture the fortified forest.
It was stated that the special forces recovered some rifles and motorcycles during the raid on Balmo and an adjoining Lame forest.
It was further stated in another tweet that the soldiers carried out a separate raid on Hildi, Adamawa State and recovered “some documents, including sketches , list of communities apparently slated for attack.”
According to the tweet, the special forces also killed seven insurgents and recovered five rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, bow and arrows from the fleeing insurgents in the Hildi operation.
It said that the military was conducting the operation against the insurgents on the land and in the air in various fronts.
The tweets read, “The campaign against terrorists’ activities is continuing with air and land operations being conducted in various theatres in parts of the country.
“A total of six soldiers were wounded in the encounter; troops have eventually taken control of Lame Forest location. Over 20 terrorists lost their lives in this encounter while some were reported wounded.
“Troops recovered a number of rifles and motorcycles after a stiff resistance by terrorists was rushed….”
In a related development, troops of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday locked down Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State following an attack on a village in the area known as Ganda.
A security source said that the soldiers killed a very large number of the insurgents during the fierce encounter with the insurgents in the early hours of Tuesday.
The source said that the troops, who were deployed in large number for the operation, imposed a no-movement order on Gombi to prevent the fleeing insurgents from escaping.
The movement restriction was said to be in force until 2pm on Tuesday, when it was relaxed.
The security source said that the intensified operation in Adamawa State had resulted in serious cash scarcity and sufferings in the area.
It was stated that all the banks in the area, from Madagali, Gombi, Michika, Mubi and other major towns in Adamawa State had been closed down to avoid being raided by the insurgents
It was stated that indigenes of the area could only go to Yola to withdraw funds.
The source said, “You know that things are very difficult here; all the banks have closed shop here. If they open, the Boko Haram members could raid them. So, to withdraw money is very difficult.
“People here will go to Yola to join long queues to withdraw money. At times, you might be there for the whole day; you might not achieve your mission. It is only in Yola that you have banks in operation…”
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