Sambisa forest to serve as training ground for army —Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, on Monday, said Sambisa forest would serve as training ground for personnel of the Nigerian Army as from 2017.

Buratai said this in Damasak, Borno State, while celebrating Christmas with troops of 145 Battalion after the road leading to the town was reopened by Governor Kashim Shettima, three years after closure.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the army chief said troops were already conducting a mop-up operation in the forest after the last stronghold of the Boko Haram terrorists was captured.

“We are also opening up roads to Sambisa and Alagarno forest. Sambisa forest is going to be one of our training grounds.

“I have already directed that we should conduct Nigerian Army small arms championship in that forest next year.

“And we are going to use it also to test our fire fighting vehicles, other key equipment and weapons that require testing whenever we want to induct new weapon and equipment into the Nigerian army inventory.

“It will afford us very good ground for basic tactics and, indeed, advance tactics, but not limited to tactics at the Platoon, company, battalion, Brigade and even division levels.

“We are going to make it more robust to make sure that these criminals do not come back to that forest again.’’