Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Boko Haram terrorists and suicide bombers have killed about 650 Nigerians, since 29 May, one estimate of casualties said. But the Nigerian military charged back today that it has killed over 600 Boko Haram terrorists during battles against the insurgents in North Eastern part of the country in the past one month.

PRNigeria, a website usually used by the military to disseminate information gave the military figure on Sunday, quoting anonymous sources.

The website also claimed that other members of the insurgents are “finding life extremely difficult” as a result of the heat from the ongoing military operations against them.

But PRNigeria quoted a top security officer as informing it that while the terrorists have engaged in guerrilla tactics of using vulnerable girls and young men for suicide attacks on soft targets, the military always ensure that their fighters do not escape as they continue to meet their Waterloos in the hand of the troops.

“In their desperation to create fear among the citizens, the terrorists are now deliberately targeting remote villages where their former members who had renounced the sect membership were taking refuge”, PRNigeria quoted the security officer as saying.

On the guerrilla tactics employed by the terrorists, the security source said:
“The major challenges we face is that of suicide bombers who might be operating with insiders within the communities. There is no way, as security personnel we can identify potential terrorists or suicide bombers from their faces or movements. Some of them look as innocent as new born babies.”

The Officer therefore urged the residents to muster the courage by exposing suspects, strange objects or movements to the relevant authorities.

The source added that since the emergence of new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, no single territory in Nigeria is being occupied or proclaimed by the terrorists as their Caliphate even as their leaders are either being killed, captured or on the run.

One particular senior military source disclosed that “both the army and air force personnel are not relenting in the battle to rid the region of terrorism and are daily dealing ruthlessly with the enemies by killing them and destroying their vehicles, especially in Borno State.”

It was however learnt also that relentless campaign against the Nigerian military by Amnesty International (AI) was a serious nuisance as it dampened troops’ morale.

“Nonetheless, very senior officers and military psychologists have revved up their efforts in assuring combatants that AI reports were meant exactly to achieve that same negative objective of dampening morale and so, they must never allow the enemies of Nigeria to win”, a source disclosed.

“The Nigerian air force continues to conduct their regular missions while soldiers conduct raids on suspected terrorist’s hideouts “but nobody is allowed to even carry phones when going on such operations much less cameras so that AI and its cohorts will not have further negative evidence against troops defending their nation and its citizens,” PRNigeria reported.