Boko Haram: Many killed as troops retake Rann after bloody battle

The Nigerian military on Tuesday retook Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge local government area of Borno state in northeast Nigeria, following invasion by suspected ISWAP on Monday night.

Troops who tactically retreated when the insurgents overwhelmed them got reinforcement to turn the table against the militants, killing several of them, according to military sources in Maiduguri.

According to some Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, who arrived Maiduguri, today (morning), the insurgents had sacked the military base earlier and also sacked the people in the camp at Rann.

“Many people were killed and a lot more were injured. They burnt down the General hospital and school and other government and NGOs facilities,” Bukar Bunu said.

On how they arrived Maiduguri, he said they have been on the run and got help from some people who were also escaping when the base and the camp fell.

Our Correspondent gathered that, reinforcement came from Ngala and with the help of air support, troops successfully forced the insurgents to flee having more superior firepower.

Speaking with some camp officials who do not wish to be mentioned, they said, the influx of IDPs has increased across the camps in Maiduguri, and with the Boko Haram attacks in both Damasak and Rann yesterday, the number of Internally Displaced Persons is expected to rise even more this week.

The military is yet to make an official statement regarding the attacks in Damasak and Rann, especially that there were sketchy details in the attack on Damasak in Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.

It could be recalled that as at last week, over 30,000 displaced persons arrived 9 camps in Maiduguri.