By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
Nigerian authorities announced on Monday that they had dislodged Boko Haram militants from several towns in northeastern Borno State.
"Troops in a military operation spearheaded by highly coordinated air assaults have completed the mission of clearing terrorists from Monguno and its environs this morning," Defense Ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement.
Monguno, a large town that hosts a major military base, fell to militants on Jan. 25 as the army repelled a simultaneous attack on Maiduguri, the provincial capital.
Olukolade said several militants had been captured in the operation.
"A number of terrorists – as well as truckloads of rice, beans and other logistics meant to resupply the terrorists operating around Baga – have been captured in the course of the operation," he added.
"Casualties inflicted and arms recovered, as well as other outcomes of the operation in Munguno, Marte and other communities already secured, will be determined after the ongoing cordon and search in the environs," the spokesman said.
"The air and land operation is continuing with aggressive advance towards other designated communities and locations meant to be cleared in the ongoing offensive against the terrorists," he added.
The capture of Monguno could give the army a leg up in the fight against Boko Haram.
President Goodluck Jonathan expected last weekend that the army would achieve appreciable success in the region within six weeks so as to be able to redraw the "security architecture" needed for holding general elections.
Nigeria has postponed general elections – from Feb. 14 to March 28 – due to security concerns.
The country has been joined by neighboring Niger, Cameroon and Chad in a joint counterterrorism campaign, an arrangement that has the blessing of the African Union and other regional bodies.
Nigeria has battled a fierce Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged the country's volatile northeastern region since 2009.
A seemingly emboldened Boko Haram recently stepped up its militant activity, seizing several areas of Nigeria's Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, where it has declared a self-styled "Islamic caliphate."
