Patrols along the highway from Maiduguri to Damaturu on Friday foiled an attack by insurgents on their base in Auno town, Borno State.
A witness in Auno said the insurgents in a convoy of four vehicles tried to ‘blindside’ the soldiers before they were spotted and chased away.
“Their convoy hid behind some oncoming vehicle from Damaturu and could be mistaken for usual patrols.
“Some of the soldiers stationed in the bush near a checkpoint saw the convoy but because they were not informed by their superiors of its coming, they fired some shots at it. The insurgents veered into the bush and returned fire before they drove away,” he said.
He said the troops were vigilant enough to have prevented what would have been a catastrophic attack.
A surprise attack by the insurgents in April on an army base at nearby Mainok reportedly led to the death of many.
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