Nigerian troops capture Boko Haram HQ, Gwoza

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, on Friday announced to Nigerians that the troops of the Nigerian Army have captured Gwoza, the headquarters of the Islamic Caliphate, declared by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
Olukolade said in statement in Abuja on Friday that the city fell to a joint operation carried out by the ground forces and the fighter pilots of the Nigerian Air Force on Friday morning.
Several ground forces were deployed from Madagali in Adamawa State and Bama in Borno for the crucial operation to reclaim Gwoza, which the insurgents captured and renamed Darul Hikima last year.
Olukolade said the troops had earlier sacked the terrorists from several communities around Gwoza before the final onslaught on the town reputed to be the strongest Boko Haram enclave in the country.
According to him, the troops killed several of the insurgents and captured many others.
The Defence spokesman added that troops levelled the operational headquarters of the insurgents and seized several arms and ammunition from them.
He said the military had liberated all communities erstwhile occupied by the insurgents as of Thursday when the battle to reclaim Gwoza was raging.
“Just this morning, the gallant troops of the Nigerian military in a concerted and well-coordinated land and air operations, liberated Gwoza, the headquarters of their (Boko Haram) so-called caliphate, which they renamed Darul Hikima.
“This was preceded by successive sacking of terrorists from towns and villages leading to Gwoza, the main target. Several of the terrorists died and many of them captured in the process. “A lot of arms and ammunition have been recovered and the administrative headquarters completely destroyed.
“A massive cordon and search (operation) has commenced to locate any of the fleeing terrorists or hostages in their custody,” he stated.
Olukolade explained that the military observed that some of the fleeing terrorists were heading to the borders, where they might have encounter with troops of the Multi National Joint Task Force, who are under instruction to contain them.