Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, said the Nigerian Army has established 20 super camps in the north east to curtail activities of the Boko Haram and Islamic State Of West Africa Province (ISWAP), terrorists in the north east.

Buratai also said the Nigerian Army is set to deploy more troops and equipment to the north east in the coming days to give the terrorists the battle of their lives.

The COAS also charged soldiers to obey the rules of engagement. He said that he would deal decisively with the officer and all the soldiers who took part in the shooting of five police officers attached to the IGP Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Taraba State on August 6.

Buratai, who also condemned the killing of an Okada operator in Abia State as well as the rape of a female student by a soldier in Ogun State, charged commanders on the need to embark on training and re-training of officers and soldiers under their command.

The army chief made this known at the opening of the Chief Of Army Staff combined second and third quarter conference holding in Abuja.

He said that with the establishment of the super camps, the Nigerian Army has redefined the conduct of the counter insurgency operations to bring the terrorism war to an end in the shortest possible time.

He, therefore, charged commanders of the various counter insurgency operations to key into the already circulated laid down standing operating procedures and the directives of the super camps.

He said: “We have also redefined the conduct of operations of Lafia Dole with new scheme of maneuver using the super camp concept of operation.

“A total of 20 super camps have so far been established in the north east and commanders are required to key into the already circulated laid down standing operating procedures and the directives.

“The concept entails the concentration of formidable fighting force in strongholds that have the capacity for swift mobility. This requires the forces to be proactive, dogged and capable of taking bold offensive at all times to defeat the adversaries by denying them freedom of action within a strong response area or response areas as the case may be.

“To support the super camp concept, we have inducted more manpower and equipment into the theatre and have plans to within the remaining days of the third quarters 2019, deploy more troops towards achieving the desired end state.

“More platforms are being inducted through our research and development efforts and the production of our own equipment in line with the directive of the president for the armed forces to look inwards and source for key equipment locally.

“The effort is already yielding positive results. I am delighted to inform you that in collaboration with an indigenous company, we have commissioned and inducted about seven of these newly manufactured emraps into the theatre.