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Nigerian military chief says to end insurgency by December

Xinhua, October 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has reiterated the military's determination to end Boko Haram insurgency in the country by December.

Buratai, in a statement made available to Xinhua on Thursday restated the commitment during a routine operational visit to front line troops in parts of the northeast.

The Nigerian military chief had defied the public holidays to embark on operational and morale boosting trips to troops under Nigerian 3 Division and 7 Division areas of responsibility.

His first port of call was Headquarters, 33 Artillery Brigade, Shadawanka Barracks in northeast, Bauchi, where he addressed troops on the on-going operations.

The Army chief also visited the 301 Artillery Regiment in northeast, Gombe and Biu where he visited two units; 231 Tank Battalion and 331 Artillery Regiment in Aboge Largema Military Cantonment.

Buratai admonished troops to treat surrendered terrorists humanely in line with international humanitarian laws and the Nigerian Army Code of Conduct.

The Nigerian Army chief also decorated newly promoted officers in the front line with their new ranks.

President Muhammadu Buhari had given the military three months within which to end insurgency.

The Nigeria-based terrorists have been engaging in an armed struggle with the Nigerian army aided by troops from Chad, Niger, Benin and Cameroon. The ground and aerial offensive by the five-country coalition started in March.

Last Thursday, in an operation supported by Cameroonian troops and the Nigerian air force, seven Boko Haram camps were destroyed and more than a dozen improvised explosive devices found in and near the town detonated in controlled explosions.

On the same day, the Nigerian military said in an effort to end the six-year Boko Haram attacks, it was advancing on the Sambisa forest -- the terror group's stronghold.

Sequel to that, more than 200 Boko Haram fighters surrendered last Friday to Nigerian troops in the northeastern state of Borno.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden", has killed over 13,000 people and abducted hundreds since starting its operations in 2009. Endit