Borno Ambush: Army Denies Casualty Figure, Insists 23, Not 47 Soldiers Killed

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Friday said it lost 29 soldiers in the March 23 terrorists ambush in Borno State and not 47 as it earlier announced.

It also gave the number of soldiers wounded during the arm bush as 39 as against 15 it gave to the media.

This is just as it alleged that locals sympathetic to the Boko Haram terrorists leaked information of troops movements to the insurgents that led to the killings of the soldiers at Gorgi, in Borno State.

Coordinator, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Major-General John Enenche, said this at a media briefing in Abuja while giving updates on the March 23 ambush.

Enenche, explained that a team of military officers headed by a major-general, to carry out medical evacuations after the attacks confirmed the total number of casualties.

He said the authorities would inform families of the deceased personnel before making their names public.

Enenche, who said the briefing had become necessary, said: “Following the encounter between Armed Forces of Nigeria and insurgents at Gorgi between 21 and 23 March 2020, a team was sent to carry out the due operational After Action Procedure, which include reconfirmation of casualties and immediate medical evacuation required among others.

“After the exercise, the team made the following findings: Twenty Nine (29) Nigerian troops were killed in action and 39 were wounded in action, as a result of the explosion of the truck carrying logistics and ammunition resupply for the fighting echelon.

“This is contrary to the figures from the first contact situation report of 47 killed in action and 15 wounded in action. This is a common occurrence during combat operations due to the fog of war, encounters or conflicts, when first contact reports are released to higher quarters in contemporary times, in order to counter false reports and fake news by mischief-makers.

“The team also found a casualty of over 100 Boko Haram terrorists neutralized as the result of direct fire action and encounter with the gallant troops of the Land Component of the Armed Forces of Nigeria during the clearance of Gorgi. This figure is against the scores given during the briefing, 500 and 200 respectively provided by secondary sources.

“Ultimately, the land component of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in Operation LAFIYA DOLE successfully cleared Gorgi and dealt a heavy blow on the enemy, and the end state of clearing Gorgi was achieved.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria hereby assures the public that it will remain committed to tackling the security challenges in the country to ensure that the country is peaceful.”