Nigerian military intelligence officials say they were surprised at the sophisticated weapons being used by the Boko Haram insurgents. The reaction came after Nigerian troops captured a T-55 armored tank and a highly sophisticate Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) from the Islamist insurgents in a heavy fire battle at Konduga, the second biggest town in Borno State.
The sources said Boko Haram fighters made another big and desperate push to take Konduga, a town that has been the scene of incessant battles and disastrous outings for Boko Haram fighters in recent weeks.
The began their latest push on Thursday, attacking Konduga from several angles. But when they found out they were getting defeated, some of the Islamist fighters arrived at the scene of battle from the Bama axis with a surprise weapon, a T-55 tank...
Military sources disclosed that the insurgents had never previously used such a mammoth weapon in battle. The tank and APC were eventually captured from the insurgents by the gallant Nigerian soldiers after a fierce battle in which soldiers killed more than 100 Boko Haram terrorists.
About 15 soldiers were also killed during the firefight that lasted several hours.
The Nigerian army said the seizure of the tank was a major blow to the insurgents. “The sheer power of the tank surprised us. And the tank has camouflage painting that made it blend with the area in a way that it could not have easily been detected by Nigerian jets flying over the area,” said a military officer.
Boko Haram’s ownership of the tank shows the extent to which the sect is funded by powerful as well as wealthy supporters and an indication of the strength of the Islamic group’s foreign links.
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