» Boko Haram Can No Longer Coordinate Attacks – Buratai Boasts «

Nigeria’s chief of army staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has
assured residents of the north-east that 2016 will be a
more peaceful year for them because Boko Haram “can no
longer coordinate any attacks”.
He gave the assurance on Thursday after his operational
visits to troops locations in parts of Borno and Yobe
states.
He said within the time frame given by President
Muhammadu Buhari, joint forces had decimated Boko
Haram and substantially destroyed its enclaves on
Nigerian territory.
“Going by the present pace and momentum of the military
operation, no insurgent or group will be able operate freely
by 2016,” he said.
“Since Mr President’s mandate, we have done a lot to
defeat these criminals; we have degraded them in such a
manner that they can no longer hold any ground in our
country.
“They can no longer coordinate any attacks; we will, in the
coming few days, completely close in on them, so the
outlook for 2016 is bright. I want to assure Nigerians,
especially the Northeast, that 2016 will be more peaceful.”
Buratai said that the military would consolidate on the
successes recorded in the operations so far, stressing that
there would be no room for the insurgents to operate
henceforth.
At the army brigade in Biu and the armed forces special
forces battalion stationed in Buratai town, the army chief
conveyed the president’s congratulatory message to the
troops for meeting the deadline.
He said that the president was pleased with the
successes recorded, especially in meeting the timeline in
fighting insurgency. But he urged them not to be
complacent, saying the insurgents would employ desperate
measures to survive the onslaught by the military.
At the base of 21 Brigade deployed from Damaturu to Buni
Yadi, Buratai commended the soldiers for their efforts in
curbing the activities of the insurgents in the area.
He urged the troops to remain alert and make good use of
available equipment for the operations.
The chief of army staff reiterated the commitment of the
army and other relevant authorities to providing the
necessary logistics to enable troops sustain the
momentum.
Buratai, who held durbars in all the locations visited, also
addressed issues raised by soldiers and officers.
Some of the soldiers who spoke at the durbar expressed
their desire to end the counter-insurgency operations and
return home as soon as possible.
NAN.