A group of suspected members of Boko Haram in Marte local government area of Borno state were said to have ambushed a military vehicle, killing about 8 soldiers.
According to sources in the local government, the soldiers were ambushed by the gang of terrorists group, which engaged them in one of the most terrifying gun battle witnessed in the area since the Boko Haram crises in 2009.
But in a swift reaction, the spokesman of the JTF, operation restore order in Borno, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa in a statement on Thursday denied the killing of 8 soldiers in the attack.
According to the statement made available to newsmen in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, the JTF confirmed the attack in Marte, adding that 7 persons were confirmed to have been killed in the attack at about 2 pm when gunmen suspected to be members of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram attacked 21 Brigade troops location at Marte in Marte local government area in the northern part of Borno state.
Lt. Col. Sagir Musa said, during the attack one soldier, one police personnel and 5 gunmen lost their lives.
According to the statement, no Civilian casualty was recorded in the exchange of fire. However, the military has recovered 2 AK 47 Rifles, 1 locally made double barrel gun, 3 magazines loaded with 35 rounds of assorted ammunition, 1 Dane Gun and 4 machetes.
Earlier, sources who spoke with news men on the attack in Marte local government said the soldiers were ambushed by the terrorists group and engaged them in a fierce gun battle, leading to the death of not less than 8 uniform men.
However, other sources including the military authority said that, it is not true 8 military officers were killed. They had stressed that killing of 8 military personnel in the area would have left not a single stale standing in the area, owing to what happened during military operations as witnessed late last year in Gwange and other parts of Borno state.
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