Four persons, suspected to be soldiers, were reportedly feared dead while six others seriously injured when troops of the 152 Battalion, 21 Brigade of the Nigerian Army on Operation Lafiya Dole engaged some suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
The terrorists also suffered heavy casualties as they lost some of their members during exchange of gunfire that ensued.
A source told The Guardian that the troops suffered the unexpected loss when they went on a clearance operation at Banki-Bula-Yobe Road in Bama Local Council of Borno State.
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The soldiers, it was gathered, died when their vehicle stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) buried by the terrorists on the road.
The Army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, who confirmed the development in a statement yesterday in Abuja, did not link the dead casualties to soldiers.
He said the troops were on escort duties of some civilians from Banki to Maiduguri when they encountered suspected Boko Haram terrorists who were laying ambush on the route.
“Although the troops successfully cleared the ambush after a heavy fire fight, regrettably, four persons lost their lives when their vehicle stepped on a buried Improvised Explosive Device on the road,” Usman said.
The statement said 12 persons, comprising six soldiers, two civilian JTF and six Internally-Displaced Persons IDPs), sustained various degrees of injuries.
