5 soldiers involved in opening up of Bitta-Gambori road injured in Borno •Air Force jet kills 15 Boko Haram terrorists •Army re-opens Madagali-Gwoza Road

FIVE soldiers involved in clearance patrol which took place from Bitta up to Junction Point at Gambori Village, Borno State, were on Sunday injured after troops ran into Boko Haram ambush.

Troops of 114 Task Force Battalion of 28 Task Force Brigade in conjunction with members of vigilante group, carried out patrols to keep the road open and secure.

During the operation, the troops encountered Boko Haram terrorists at Bulajani village and successfully cleared and pursued the fleeing terrorists in the area.

A statement from the army, which confirmed the incident, noted that Buffalo vehicle used by the soldiers was damaged.

The statement hinted that the wounded soldiers were evacuated to 23 Brigade medical facility in Yola for further treatment.

It noted that the troops killed four Boko Haram terrorists, while an unconfirmed number escaped with gun shot wounds.

The patrol, according to the statement, recovered six bicycles and food storage facility laden with foodstuffs.

It said they also discovered and safely detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Madube village.

In a related development, troops of 22 Brigade Garrison accompanied by Civilian JTF also carried out patrol at Albanya village and its environs along Dikwa-Marte axis.

The troops encountered Boko Haram terrorists at Sinabaya village which is left of Marte-Kaje road in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State. During the encounter, they killed three and apprehended 11 Boko Haram terrorists.

Similarly, another patrol team from the same unit in conjunction with some elements of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps picketed Dikwa-Mafa-Maiduguri road in order to keep it open and safe against Boko Haram activities.

Also, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) King Air A350i Beechcraft aircraft on Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission, on Sunday, killed 15 Boko Haram members in Borno.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army announced on Sunday that it had re-opened the Madagali-Gwoza road linking Borno and Adamawa, closed several months ago due to the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.

Major-General Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed this when he received a delegation from the House of Representatives Committee on Defence in his office in Maiduguri.

Irabor explained that the road was re-opened to allow for humanitarian services for victims of insurgency in the area.

Irabor said that the army decided to re-open the road following improvement in the security situation in the area.

Irabor, however, said that the several other roads will remain closed pending when the security situation improved.

The leader of the delegation, Alhaji Aliyu Isa, said that the visit was as a result of the House of Representatives resolution which mandated the committee to investigate the continued closure of the Madagali-Gwoza road by the military.