Suspected terrorists sect, Boko Haram yesterday engaged the men of the Joint Task Force in a gun battle that left one soldier and 13 of the sect’s members dead, the Joint Task Force (JTF) said.
Spokesman for the Joint Task Force Operation Restore Order, Lt-Col. Sagir Musaat in statement said about 1600 hours (1500 GMT) today (yesterday), the troops had an encounter with Boko Haram terrorists at Bulabulin and Bayan Quarters of Maiduguri.
“During the encounter, the JTF lost one soldier and two were wounded.” he added.
According to residents and a relief source, suspected Boko Haram attackers gruesomely murdered 15 Christians last week on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the group’s main stronghold.
Violence linked to Boko Haram’s insurgency has left about 3,000 people dead since 2009.
Boko Haram has said it wants to create an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria but its demands have shifted. It has repeatedly been linked with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb but its goals and hierarchy remain unclear.
The JTF spokesman said the operation against the Boko Haram cell in Maiduguri was ongoing.