Nigeria Troops Arrive Mali, Begin Hunt For Boko Haram Spiritual Leader
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2013/01/nigeria-troops-arrive-mali-begin-hunt.html
Nigerian Troops have arrived Mali and immediately commenced search for Boko Haram spritual leader Abubakar Shekau.
Security agencies have discovered that the spiritual leader of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, Abubakar Shekau, who was wounded in a gun duel between soldiers of the Joint Task Force and members of his sect early this year, is hiding in Gao, a city in Northern Mali, receiving treatment from the Tuareg rebels.
Military Intelligence sources revealed on Friday that Shekau was ferried to Mali through porous routes in the vast Nigerian border with a neighbouring country in the north.
The source cited the discovery of Shekau’s hideout and the training base for Boko Haram sect members to unleash terror on Nigerians as a further justification of the action of the Federal Government to deploy 1,200 troops as well as Airforce fighter and transport aircraft to Mali to help flush out the Tuareg militants and their sponsors.
Shekau was said to have been shot at a checkpoint while he attempted to deceive operatives of the JTF by posing as a nomadic Fulani man who was returning from a journey.
A gunfight ensued when the vehicle carrying him and members of the sect approached a checkpoint and they discovered that the soldiers were waiting for him.
During the exchange of fire, Shekau and two other sect members with him
escaped with gunshot wounds, while two other members of the sect were killed on the spot. About six AK-47 rifles were recovered from the vehicle.
The source noted that most of the weapons, including IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) recovered from Boko Haram members have been linked to those used during the Libyan uprising against the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
Military Intelligence sources revealed on Friday that Shekau was ferried to Mali through porous routes in the vast Nigerian border with a neighbouring country in the north.
The source cited the discovery of Shekau’s hideout and the training base for Boko Haram sect members to unleash terror on Nigerians as a further justification of the action of the Federal Government to deploy 1,200 troops as well as Airforce fighter and transport aircraft to Mali to help flush out the Tuareg militants and their sponsors.
Shekau was said to have been shot at a checkpoint while he attempted to deceive operatives of the JTF by posing as a nomadic Fulani man who was returning from a journey.
A gunfight ensued when the vehicle carrying him and members of the sect approached a checkpoint and they discovered that the soldiers were waiting for him.
During the exchange of fire, Shekau and two other sect members with him
escaped with gunshot wounds, while two other members of the sect were killed on the spot. About six AK-47 rifles were recovered from the vehicle.
The source noted that most of the weapons, including IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) recovered from Boko Haram members have been linked to those used during the Libyan uprising against the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
