Multiple deaths have been reported after a rescue team dispatched to comb the Metele area in the aftermath of the November 18 Boko Haram attack on Nigerian soldiers in Borno state came under insurgents fire on November 19, military sources said on Sunday.
The rescue, treatment and evacuation team was sent from Baga, Borno state, to Metele, home to the Nigerian Army 157 Task Force Battalion that lost scores of soldiers on Sunday.
The rescue team members were selected from the Nigerian Army 7 Task Force Brigade stationed in Baga.
At least, 118 soldiers were killed and 153 missing in the Sunday attack on 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele, Borno state.
“While recovering the bodies within the Metele area, Boko Haram fighters launched another attack on the team,” a top military source said.
“Additional casualties were recorded including that of the head of the medical team and scores of others,” the source added.
About 152 officers were estimated to have taken part in the rescue efforts, although a military source said the figures could be higher because some troops from another base were asked to join the initial reinforcement from Baga.
Texas Chukwu, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, did not return requests for comments on Sunday. John Agim, his Defence Headquarters counterpart, said he has no information about what transpired in Metele.
