NIGERIA'S military authorities are confident they are finally winning the war against Boko Haram after successfully repelling two attacks on the Borno State capital Maiduguri during which they killed hundreds of fighters and seized a lot of weapons.
Over the weekend, Boko Haram made two brazen attempts to take the well-fortified Maiduguri but was repelled by the Nigerian Army and local vigilantes. After a gun battle that lasted over 12 hours, the Nigerian military said it killed hundreds of terrorists and seized a lot of equipment including a British-made Vickers tank.
One senior army officer said the Boko Haram fighters were everywhere, attacking from all four roads leading to Maiduguri during the assault but were beaten back. Another officer said, as many as 500 insurgents were killed before they took flight and many weapons were recovered including artillery guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
On Saturday, Chadian forces reclaimed the northeastern town of Gamboru-Ngala near the border, after a heated battle with Boko Haram that involved a ground and air campaign. These Chadian forces were working under the African Union agreement that will involve member states sending 7,500 troops to help Nigeria fight the Boko Haram insurgency.
Nigeria's army has struggled to contain Boko Haram, which is seeking to build a caliphate ruled by Islamic sharia law. Last April, Boko Haram sparked international outrage when it kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State.
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