There are indications that the Nigerian military
is not happy with the unfair speculations and
outright falsehood dished out by some
members of the Multinational Joint Task Force
(MNJTF) currently battling to wipe out the Boko
Haram insurgents from the region.
Sources close to the operations of the MNJTF
are particular about the claims of the Chadian
military, which is part of the anti-Boko Haram
operations in the North-east.
The military sources, who spoke to THISDAY on
Sunday, dismissed media reports claiming that
Chadian soldiers have recaptured many border
towns but are being frustrated by the refusal of
the Nigerian troops to take over control of the
‘liberated territories’.
However, investigations have revealed that
Nigerian troops are treading cautiously having
been deceived several times “by the so-called
territorial gains claimed by the Chadian military
in most of the border towns”.
According to the military sources, the Nigerian
troops have found out to their detriment that
most of the towns the Chadian soldiers claimed
to have liberated are actually still being
controlled by Boko Haram, with the Nigerians
meeting a surprising and fierce resistance until
they finally wrest such towns from the
insurgents.
They explained that the Chadian military
strategy is anchored on cross border raids, and
looting purely for commercial, financial and
economic gains.
“What do they mean by clearing a place when
they are not holding ground? So on what
ground are they telling the international
community they are holding? They are doing
entirely a different thing and have been lying
all along. They have not been telling the truth,
just that our military wants to be diplomatic in
dealing with this issue.
“Even all those areas they claimed they were
holding, is all hoax, they only came to loot and
disappear back to their boundary, while
claiming they are holding grounds but when our
troops come, they meet strong resistance from
Boko Haram,” the source said.
Also speaking, an intelligence source recalled
that recently, it was found that the Chadian
troops’ claim to military gains in border towns
of Damasak, Dikwa and Gamboru Ngala were
false.
According to the source, some of the pictures
and images being brandished by Chad through
the foreign media are propaganda tools
showing their military training activities and
cross border raids and incidences of looting.
The senior security officer explained that
Nigeria had refrained from going public with
what it had seen as “bags of lies, falsehood and
dangerous deception by the Chadians” for
diplomatic and operational reasons.
The source noted that even before the current
military arrangement that allows the countries
of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to
fortify their contiguous boundaries and deny
safe haven to Boko Haram terrorists, Nigerian
military had viewed the Chadians’ involvement
with a suspicious link to the terrorists.
The source noted: “It’s just that we don’t want
to tell the whole world of their lies but honestly
they are constituting more problems for us. We
have refrained from talking much on this in
order not to compound issues for the military.
“The other time they claimed to have captured
Dikwa, only for our troops to get there and
found it deserted and yet encountered strong
Boko Haram resistance. Like I told you, how can
they say they are holding a place when they are
not on ground? Do you know that when they
claimed they have liberated Dikwa, but
surprisingly, our soldiers got there and ran into
ambush with the terrorists entrenched? This
alerted us that they were not even there at all
or rather cooperating with the terrorists. All
they do is to come, loot and go back to their
country.
“You know that most of these towns are along
the border, so all they do is to raid the towns,
shoot one or two Boko Haram, cart away things
and run back to their country and not that they
are holding any ground. Some of those pictures
they are showing you even in some foreign
media are training pictures and those of their
raids. They have never been able to hold any
ground including Gamboru Ngala. How many
times have they claimed to have recaptured
the place, about four times, but they are all
lies”.
Speaking further, another senior military officer
explained that the reason for the reluctance of
the Nigerian military to rush towards any
border town claimed to have been liberated is
to first consolidate on the major towns that the
troopscaptured and conclude mopping up
operations and effective occupation before they
can proceed to other areas.
The source further explained that leaving their
flanks open in a bid to take over any territory
claimed to have been liberated by a suspicious
ally had led to major attacks by terrorists to
recapture the newly liberated areas or being
ambushed on their way to the new territory.
“So this is why we have to take caution before
rushing to the areas claimed to have been
liberated by Chad, and if at all their claim is
right, why are they not holding the ground until
we are ready to take over?” he said.
In a statement by PRNigeria, its investigations
revealed that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ)
was especially piqued about distracting
comments such as the one announcing that
some of the cooperating countries have been
entering Nigerian territory without the federal
government authorisation or that DHQ refused
to respond to calls by MJTF partners to send
troops to liberated communities.
Another source disclosed that due to certain
experiences in the past, DHQ had instructed
troops never to leave any territory where they
are stationed even in response to distress calls
about terrorists’ invasion from unreliable and
unverifiable sources.
“Meanwhile, through deliberate military
strategy, once Nigerian troops recover a
territory they are not asked to go on emergency
mission or rescue operations because of
distractive antics of terrorists. They remain
there until the liberated areas are stabilised.
Some of our allies are actually here for
something else… Some are known as
supporters of our enemies,” the source noted.
The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj-
Gen. Chris Olukolade, has refused to speak on
the matter, saying it’s an operational and
strategic issue that will be dealt with at that
level if the allegations are found to be true.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nigeria-accuses-chad-of-false-claims-over-recaptured-town/204782/

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I have often said it!!

Chadian troops = boko haram!

The same damasak they claim to have liberated is the same town where about 400 women and children were recently kidnapped as reported by the media!

All I know is "everyday for the thief", but "one day" would surely be for the "owner"!

We would surely defeat them all!!