The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has explained why troops demobilised two Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) in Zamfara State.
It said troops were unable to extricate the two military vehicles from where they were stuck in a swampy terrain during operations against bandits in the area.
The DHQ said the two MRAPs were bogged down during troops fighting patrol in Zurmi Local Government Area on August 29 due to the swampy terrain occasioned by persistent rain.
The military high command gave the explanation in a statement yesterday in Abuja by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba.
The statement reads: “On August 29, 2024, at about 1700 hours (5 p.m), troops of Operation Hadarin Daji deployed at FOB Zurmi in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, embarked on fighting patrol to dislodge terror gathering at Kwashabawa Village. Troops engaged the terrorists en route the location.
“During the fight, while attempting to outflank the terrorists, Quantity 2 of troops MRAPs got bogged down due to the swampy terrain occasioned by the rain. While troops tried to extricate the MRAPs, the terrorists massed up, knowing the challenge troops had encountered with the MRAPs.
“Subsequently, troops dismounted and demobilised the MRAPs, when efforts to backload them were futile. The sad demobilisation of the MRAPs by troops was to prevent it from being useful to the terrorists after abandonment. These situations further illustrate the effect of weather in changing conditions for ground operations.”
The DHQ also released a trending video spread by the terrorists claiming to have engaged in mass killing.
Gen. Buba said at no time did the terrorists kill hundreds of civilians in Sokoto State, as claimed by the terrorist in the video.
He said: “It must be noted that the incident never took place in Nigeria. Rather, it sadly took place in a nearby African country faced with terrorism.
“The terrorists, in an act of desperation, tried to manipulate the situation to mislead gullible members of the public. The Armed Forces unequivocally state that at no time were 150 persons abducted in Gobir, Sokoto State.
“The rumoured abduction was deliberately planted by the terrorists to undermine troops winning efforts and cover up terrorist weakness.”
Gen. Buba urged the public to be “circumspect of the antics of the terrorists to propagate misinformation, disinformation and fake news as part of their war propaganda effort”.
He said despite the dynamics of the environment of the operation, troops retained “operational flexibility to make adjustments in achieving the strategic objective of winning the war”.