Nigerian troops in a MT-LB multipurpose armoured vehicle on confidence-building patrols in northeastern Nigeria
WORLDSTAGE
7 October 2015
Nigerian Army said over 100 Boko Haram terrorists that made a futile attempt on 120 Task Force Battalion troops located at Goniri, Yobe State at the early hours of today were all killed.
A statement by Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, Acting Director Army Public Relations said the fleeing terrorists had in a great sign of desperation and to create an impression that they remain relevant, at the early hours of today made a futile attempt on 120 Task Force Battalion troops located at Goniri, Yobe State.
“During the encounter our gallant troops successfully repelled the attacked and inflicted heavy casualty on the invading terrorists as all of them were killed. On the last count over 100 terrorists bodies were seen. Unfortunately however, 7 of our gallant soldiers paid the supreme price while defending our fatherland, while 1 officer and 8 soldiers were wounded in action,” the statement said.
“ During the encounter, the troops have recovered a sizeable (cache of) arms, ammunition and other equipment from the terrorists. These include 1 General Purpose Machine Gun, 2 Rocket Propelled Grenades, 9 AK-47 rifles and belted rounds of 7.62 (NATO) ammunition.
Others were various wires used for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 7 primed IEDs, different types of spanners and a torchlight.”
The statement said troops had consolidated on the encounter and more determined to defend their location and continued to serve as blocking force to any fleeing terrorists from the Nigerian Air Force aerial bombardments and other troops artillery fire.
In a related development, troops of 21 Brigade on fighting patrol from Bama to Ngurosoye were said to have destroyed Boko Haram terrorists camps along that axis.
“While on patrol, the brave soldiers came across some of the terrorists hideouts that also served as fabricating area for IEDs and the terrorists’ training area. Another patrol along Bama-Kawuri axis discovered and exhumed IEDs and wires for detonation,” it said.
“It is important to reiterate that the Nigerian Army along with the support of the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies would not relent in its determined effort of defeating Boko Haram terrorists.”
Beegeagle's Blog 
Relieved at the mere mention of the deployment of a “BLOCKING FORCE”. Such seemed to have no role in our battle plans before Q1 2015. Was this message finally driven home by STTEP?
Pre-2015, “many terrorists fled with gunshot wounds” would have been used in place of “blocking force”. FLED..to return to the fight another day.
How can they b telling us that a hundred terrorist attacked a battalion with
1 general purpose machine gun
2 rocket propelled grenade
9 AK-47
Come on u guys can do batter than this
How can a hundred people b attacking a full battalion with 12 weapons,what were the others carring?(Were they going to fight armed troops with bare hands),
Please Nigerians are not fools(u guys can come up with something more batter than this)this is cheap propaganda
Respect to the fallen heroes(u did not pay the supreme price in vain)
Sounds like what a small raiding party of 12 to 15 terrorists would carry!!!
Maybe we shouldn’t be too harsh on the army, it could well be BH are so depleted they hoped to take the soldiers unawares and attacked en masse hoping to overrun the camp and arm-up from army stocks.
So it could be conceivable that many were unarmed initially. The army PR machine should try to explain things properly, especially to a very hard to please audience.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201510080581.html
Like my old maths teacher would say ‘that is possible but not probable’. If that was the case, the un armed men would be some distance behind the armed first wave, and would have made good their escape in the dark once the initial break through attack failed.
Its not likely they would have flung themselves at the defenses in a human wave armed solely with their finger nails.
All in all the matter get comma!
Anyway the takeaway is that an attack/raid was snuffed out and weapons seized. Not a bad outcome at this stage of the conflict.
There is what is called the element of surprise.
If you stay back and keep your distance, how would you be able to arm-up quickly enough to continue the onslaught.
The probable reason for the high death rate for BH would be the initial assualt failed and they got wiped out being unable to arm themselves.
Anyway, as you have said, it was snuffed out and just as well they were alert.
Russia Top Guns
Russia’s fleet of jets is varied as well. The core of it consists of well-tried workhorses like the Su-24 frontline bomber and the armored Su-25 ground-support fighter jet. Both planes were designed decades ago, although the Air Force brought the latest upgraded versions for the Syrian campaign.
Newer planes are also there, like the Su-34, which entered service in Russia last year. The Syrian theater offers Russian engineers a test-field to try the plane, which can hit targets from an altitude of 5,000 feet, far from the range of anti-aircraft weapons in the possession of the militants.
The Air Force is employing a number of bombs in the missions, from sophisticated and expensive laser-guided Kh-25Ls and steerable KAB-250s to the bunker-busting BETAB-500s free-falling and affordable FAB-500s. The variety means Russia can strike with pinpoint precision where necessary and bombard with devastating force where no collateral damage would be done.
http://newsrescue.com/see-list-of-daesh-tanks-munitions-hqs-russia-destroyed-in-just-1-week/#axzz3ntxwKx4B
PART 1 :
War is war, you will never always know the whole truth. So has it been in all ages and generations. It’s even harder to get 100% facts of a small battle than a war in it’s entirety.
There are many unresolved mystery battle reports from 1940s World War II till today, The funny story of 200 South African army paratroopers with no single armoured vehicle support, defeating 3,000 Seleka rebels in the 15 hour Bangui battle 2013, killing 1,000 enemies in just 15 hours while losing only 13 SANDF men, yet the winning side was the retreating and running away side, is another riddle or joke that may never be resolved for decades.
http://www.politicsweb.co.za/party/our-troops-killed-hundreds-in-car–sandf
Generally, Boko Haram has become very very weak, thanks to General Minimah and Goodluck Jonathan, Nigerians cannot take away their war achievements from them even if they take away their offices of power. Let us give credit where it is due and apportion blame where due, a balance of judgement. Today, Presido Buhari can rule one Nigeria only because Jonathan and Minimah solved a problem they did not create and 90% won a war they did not start. The wrong doings of their past leadership is being revisited and remedial actions will be taken, but please let it be with justice and truth, they get their blame, they get their praise too.
Factually, the Nigerian army infantry has transformed into a better armed force of light infantry weaponry that can stop any other light infantry enemy except that enemy has good numbers of anti-aircraft guns common to basic insurgents or ant-tank missiles common to stronger terrorists conventional armies.
Thanks to Beegeagle’s blog for it’s patriotic and unrelenting suggestions, recommendations, outcry, complaints, advice, criticism, tactics/strategy revelation/publications from May 2014 to May 2015, under the Field Marshal Beegeagle himself, this blog of Nigerians who love our country/fatherland, the Nigerian army infantry has been rapidly transformed in one year into a 10 times more capable fighting force….
PART 2…
PART 2…
Through your tireless efforts fellow Beegeagle battalion bloggers, your advice has seen new things happen to Nigerian infantry because you spoke out loud here for the government to hear, especially of increased infantry firepower and battlefield surveillance gadgets :
= Better soldiers personal kits, new camouflage uniforms, more identical camo types per platoon
= More night vision goggles
= Personal role communication radios for more individual soldiers
= New assault rifles slowly complementing the short range AK-47
= More light and heavy machine guns per squad
= 14.5 mm and 23 mm cannon mounted on APC and LAV including Igirigi/Spartan
= Underslung AK-47 rifle single shot grenade launchers
= Multiple six shot grenade launchers in large numbers
= Automatic grenade launchers with box ammo in some numbers
= Knee mortars / commando mortars
= Military grade field vision binoculars
= Battlefield surveillance TV cameras mounted on Toyotas
= Man portable backpack Quad Copter mini UAV/drones
You don’t have an infantry this well equipped and yet lose battles to terrorists when your own troops are equally well motivated and disciplined. Minimah restored discipline, Buratai restored frontline leadership and welfare/feeding/care etc.
Also, General Buratai is bringing in adaptation to COIN warfare which Minimah was very slow to do, costing him many battles. Buratai is introducing motorcycle infantry, and maybe increasing mini ATV squads and hopefully adding horsemen.
For now the most important missing part of the Nigerian army infantry is the Anti-Tank Guided missile, if we face a well armed insurgency force like ISIS or a conventional army like our Francophone neighbours, we will be at a great disadvantage.
The other missing part which is not urgent need is the MANPAD shoulder launched anti-aircraft missile, modern types that are advanced and very reliable to defend our infantry from enemy low flying attack aircraft.
We all see what damage ATGM is doing to Saudi Arabian army and Syrian army tanks in the middle east today. Nigerian army T-72 tanks will not survive against that kind of terrorist force, our entire armoured forces will be destroyed if the enemy uses ATGM properly each time we engage them.
Oga Buratai, please plug this wide open gap in Nigerian army infantry capability, we urgently need anti-tank guided missiles in 3 modes.
1. Light weight man portable types for single infantry man to carry in his back pack
2. Same type for our light vehicles to carry on Toyota, Cobra, Igirigi, Spartan APC
3. Factory fitted types with multiple launcher tubes for our infantry fighting vehicles to carry, like our BTR-3 and BTR-4 IFVs.
Adapting master of warfare General Buratai, please do something, a SKIF anti-tank guided missile from Ukraine or Belarus, and modern Chinese types cost just about $ 500,000 for one launcher and 8 missiles.
Click to access Skif_Eng.pdf
ABURO MI ( my junior brother)
O to lo wi ( You have spoken the truth)
LT KTJ .Minimah it will take years to reveal how bad it really was when he took over and it was an indictment of his predecessor .He reorganized an ARMY in DISARRAY, LOW IN MORALE , AND CRUCIALLY LACKING IN DISCIPLINE, this is what he INHERITED
There is no question, he hard line stance including personally threatening to whip Army Soldiers wives and arresting and court -martialing Soldiers as CONTROVERSIAL as it may seem was the first crucial step in his test of Leadership.
This had to come before the weapons arrived as we are seeing behind the scenes , the WAR is going very badly for the Saudis, despite all the Equipment, M1 Abrams and MRAPS are GETTING BLOWN UP DAILY and there even videos of SAUDIS fleeing from battle!!
GEN Buratai has infused a sense of THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX and taking the punishment to the enemy
The GENERAL has to have an end purpose in mind and how he he is going to achieve it.
End purpose :
CAPTURE/ KILL the Hierarchy ( SHURA) of BOKO HARAM
*Establish A SF DIV (10,000) spread over the four corners of Nigeria
**Retain certain officers who have shown ABOVE AND BEYOND the Leadership skills required so they can teach as CONSULTANTS@ NDA/ JAJI.
***Establish a direct link whereby all the FIRST CLASS graduates of the Universities and Polytechnics upon verification are offered FIVE- YEAR commissions starting from the rank of LT.
****For the Nigerian ARMY TO HAVE A FIRST CLASS INTEL the Nigerian Army MUST develop a better relationship with the civilian populace .
LT .GEN KTJ Minimah ( my apologies)
http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/10/photos-nigerian-army-confirms-attack-on.html#more
This is what a General does .
Personally see what went wrong
NO whitewash ( “ah oga everytin is fine o”)
GEIDAM is 180 KM from Maiduguri and is one of the towns near the Border with Niger)
It is important Maj GEN illiyasu meet with his Nigerien counterpart as bh/ iswap is pushed out of Nigeria into CHAD/ CAMEROON / NIGER This begins ( already) the next phase of the battle oga OLA.
The attack on Geidam is interesting.
” However and regretfully too, we lost 3 soldiers and some equipment during the encounter. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai … warned the officers of the unit that such ugly incident should not be allowed to happen again. The situation in Geidam is now calm and people are going about their normal businesses. [Buratai] was received at Geidam by the General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Major General Hassan Umaru and Acting Commander 27 Task Force Brigade who led the reinforcement team last night” http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/10/photos-nigerian-army-confirms-attack-on.html#more
Please note that the report states that the army lost “some equipment”. Also note: “[x commander] led the reinforcement team last night”.
The above leads me to the following conclusion:
1) Geidam came under a coordinated attack.
2) The attack was partial successful (At least 1 army position was overrun, hence the loss of equipment)
3) The disparity between the number of enemy dead and the number of enemy weapons recovered may be due to the fact that the enemy had enough time to recover the rifles of fallen comrades.
For me, the take away is this:
Boko Haram has stabilized it position, and is now counter attacking.
i share your assertion too Oga Asorokoweb. the fact that shops and gas stations were looted shows that the frontal border FOB came under co-ordinated assault and the defendants retreated to main HQ or at least a much stronger FOB position with more defendants basically turning a retreat into a Bait and flanking maneuver but it further highlight the fact that the distance between the two positions
1 and 2 was quite much given the fact of the looting.
also counter attack and fire support by NA was not co-ordinated within a time frame, enabling pockets of troops take down hostiles who in turn was able to retake weapons of fallen comrades.(my own understanding)
there were more pocket engagements by NA as BH progressed through town down the 120 batt HQ were concentration of fire was more pronounced by NA.
final analysis: Most of BH casualties were spread throughout the combat area , most taken down by pocket engagements and were recovered by mop up teams when there was a lull in battle in which a number of BH troops retreated picking weapons off dead fighters( further confirming the shortage of weapons on their side)
Good analysis