*Says no choice but win anti-terror war
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Defence Headquarters (DHQ), has vowed to deafeat insurgents on the battlefield even as troops decimated 43 insurgents and arrested 115 others in one week.
It said the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) must win the war against insurgency.
A statement issued by the Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj Gen Edward Buba, said the armed forces remained focused and is continuing its counter-insurgency campaign against terrorist and their cohorts operating across the country.
“Our operations have prevented these evil elements from accomplishing their strategic objectives.
“We assure that we will defeat the terrorist on the battlefield and in their hiding places in order that our country can flourish again.
“We have no choice but win this war for the betterment of our nation”, it said.
The statement said”troops are hunting terrorists in their hiding places and conducting targetted offensives against the them to destroy them.
“Combat teams have neutralised several of the terrorist leadership and their foot soldiers as well as degraded their military capabilities”, he said.
During the week in focus, it said, troops conducted ambushes, raids, fighting patrols and other forms of offensives against the terrorists. General Buba said the offensive actions resulted in 43 neutralised terrorist and 115 arrests.
It said troops recovered 87 assorted weapons and 666 assorted ammunition.
Furthermore, troops arrested 17 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 39 kidnapped hostages.
“In the South South, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N159,652,620.00.
The breakdown of weapons and other items recovered include 11 AK47 rifles, one FN rifles, two pump action guns, eight locally fabricated guns, 11 dane guns, two locally fabricated pistols, one macarrol pistol, one berretta pistol, one fabricated SMG, one locally made mortar with one empty bomb, four IEDs, 17 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 592 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 4 rounds of 7.5mm ammo, one round of 9mm ammo and 36 live cartridges.
Others are 18 empty cases of 7.62mm special, two bandolier, 13 magazines, six vehicles, 21 mobile phones, nine motorcycles, 15 bicycles, two tricycles, five boafeng HH radios and the sum of N1,601,370.00 amongst other items.
It said troops in the Niger Delta area destroyed 20 dugout pits, 29 boats, 31 storage tanks, one tricycle and three vehicles.
Other items recovered include 24 cooking ovens, three pump machines, and 25 illegal refining sites.
Troops also recovered 315,700 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,200 litres of illegally refined AGO and 3,158 litres of DPK.
“We call on the public to continue to act responsibly and be forthcoming for the progress of our nation. “Citizens are urged to see themselves as the outstretched arm of the military in this war and to create conditions that would hasten victory”, it said.
