Army on recent attacks: We lost 39 soldiers — NOT 118

The Nigeriam army says it lost 39 soldiers in recent attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, and not 118 as reported.

In a statement issued on behalf of the chief of army staff, Sani Usman, a brigadier general, said 53 soldiers were wounded in the attacks

The Boko Haram war recently suffered a heavy setback when troop formations in the north-east came under series of attacks by the insurgents in the space of two weeks.

The Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), a faction of the Boko Haram sect, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

While the army had initially admitted the attacks, it had described the high number of casualties being reported as “misinformation.”

Usman said each of the attacks were “successfully repelled” and that “several members of the terrorists were killed”.

He said since 2015, the Nigerian army has “systematically degraded” the capacity of Boko Haram…