One Colonel, one captain and and four other soldiers have been reportedly killed in a deadly clash with Boko Haram insurgents on Wednesday.
Several Boko Haram fighters were also killed by the Nigerian soldiers.
The attack occurred at about 6:00 p.m. along Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway during a patrol by the colonel and other soldiers of the 29 Task Force Brigade.
The Nigerian Army has not announced the development. Its spokesperson, Sagir Musa, did not immediately return calls seeking comments from PREMIUM TIMES.
PREMIUM TIMES is withholding the identity of the slain officers as we are not sure their families have been briefed by the army.
The military has avoided announcing own casualties in recent months, including the two lieutenant colonels who were killed within the past two months.
A military source told Newsmen that the six soldiers were killed near their base in Jakana.
A soldier who went missing has since returned to base, sources said. A reinforcement was sent from the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheik to the outpost in Jakana.
The remains of the colonel and five others have been sent to the Nigerian Army medical facility in Maiduguri.
The Boko Haram continues its deadly campaign despite the Nigerian government’s efforts and claims that the war was nearing its last days.
Hundreds of soldiers have been killed since Boko Haram began focusing on military bases in July 2018, casualties that included at least six senior officers and commanders.
The military has succeeded in limiting the insurgents to three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. They hitherto operated across Northern Nigeria including in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. However, the Boko Haram group is still able to attack military and civilians in the three states where it currently operates.
The Boko Haram insurgency has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 2009.
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