Late Lt Col Abu Ali has been in the North East before Buhari became president, I also watched a video where a soldier said he has been in the operation for two years.
In films and documentaries I have watched, soldiers from US or UK that have fought in wars did not fight for such long periods, some have a two months tour and go back home except in cases where they want to stay, and I believe this is because of the mental and general health of the soldiers, only a few soldiers who are key to the war stay around that long and they are not usually combat troops.

What is the idea behind our soldiers staying very long in the front lines, because I think after this insurgency, we would have to battle with many cases of PTSD, well, maybe its not a black man tin