36 Nigerian Towns Retaken from Boko Haram
Local Editor
Nigeria declared that 36 towns had been retaken from Boko Haram since the start of a four-nation military offensive, voicing hope that the operation could lead to the group's "total defeat."
Crucial "co-operations and alliances" had led to victories over the Takfirist militants, he said, thanking neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger for cutting off "the supply lines of the terrorists."
"It is hoped that the unfolding regional cooperation would hasten the total defeat and extermination of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the sub-region," he added.
Since the unprecedented joint offensive was launched, Nigeria had maintained that its troops were controlling operations.
But witnesses, experts and claims by other militaries indicated that Chadian troops had made a particularly large contribution, advancing deep into Nigerian territory and flushing Boko Haram fighters out of several parts of Borno state.
Furthermore, Nigeria delayed its February 14 general election to March 28 after security chiefs declared they needed more time to weaken the militants.
The reported successes which had not all been independently verified might allow more people to vote across Boko Haram's northeast stronghold.
As a result, President Goodluck Jonathan's re-election chances could improve if voters felt he had finally taken decisive action against the militants.
The conflict had killed more than 13,000 people since 2009, and critics had accused Jonathan and military top brass of failing to contain the violence.
The fighting had displaced more than 1.5 million people in Nigeria but Omeri claimed that some were "now returning to their homesteads to settle back into normal life."
There was, however, no independent confirmation of significant numbers of displaced people returning home.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
Comments
- Related News
