Military captures top Boko Haram commander,60 terrorists killed

Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters said yesterday that troops had captured one of the Boko Haram high ranking commanders at Konduga in Borno state after he was wounded in an operation. A statement posted on the DHQ website on Thursday stated that the commander, who was captured on Wednesday in the operation, was receiving treatment at a military facility. The statement added that 60 of his fighters died in series of attacks they launched to gain access to Konduga environs. It stated that the troops captured four motorcycles from the terrorists on Wednesday when they fought through an ambush at Benishek in the state. The statement stated that the terrorists again made an attempt to attack Konduga and its environs on Thursday but the determined troops frustrated their desperate efforts. “Troops are currently engaging another large number of heavily armed terrorists trying to enter the town,’’ it stated. The statement listed weapons captured from the insurgents to include 24 rifles, five Rocket Propelled Grenade Tubes, two Machine Guns and one Anti-aircraft as well as a Ford Ranger vehicle. It said that the Ford Ranger vehicle had been destroyed. The statement said one soldier died in the operations, while four others, who were wounded were hospitalised.