Troops death toll rises in daring Boko Haram attack

Seventeen additional bodies of gallant Nigerian soldiers who lost their lives while preventing Boko Haram from overrunning their base have been recovered by a search and rescue team overseeing theaftermath of the attack.
The remains of one officer and 16 soldiers were recovered this weekend in the general area of Mobbar local government area, Borno state, multiple military sources told Premium Times.
The soldiers were attacked at their base in Zari Village, north of Maiduguri near the border with the Republic of Niger.
Troops from 145 Battalion who are leading the search and rescue efforts have transferred the bodies to Maiduguri, Borno state capital and heart of the Boko Haram’s campaign of terror.
Search and rescue operations have intensified for the remaining soldiers who are still missing in action as of Saturday night.
At least, two officers and 46 soldiers have now been confirmed killed in the attack with the latest recoveries, which came a day after it was reported that 31 soldiers had been confirmed killed and 19 wounded in the attack.
The attack is the deadliest against a unit since Boko Haram resumed its attacks against military formations in July.
Scores of Nigerian troops were killed in successive attacks betweenmid and late July, raising fresh concerns about a resurgent sect amongst top military chiefs.
At least 90 soldiers have now been confirmed killed within the past six weeks.
The Army confirmed Zari attack occurred in a statement late Friday, but Onyema Nwakchukwu — a spokesperson for the theatre command in Maiduguri— initially said soldiers killed many Boko Haram insurgents when they repelled the attack.
Speaking at an interactive session at the weekend with members of the Nigerian community in China during his trip to the country, the president reaffirmed that his government has succeeded in curtailing Boko Haram insurgents in the country, adding that the terror group no longer controls any part of the country.
He attributed the success to operations of security agencies deployed to counter insurgency in the North-eastern part of the country.
‘‘You will all recall that we contested the last election basically on three issues, which includes security, especially in the North-east,” Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement by the presidency.