The days of the dreaded Boko Haram seem to be inexorably counted ... as with each passing day the valiant Cameroonian forces, often working in tandem with the other forces of the multi-national task force, inflict heavy defeats on these renegade members of society. In the past few months, they have virtually become a  disbanded group of individuals who are scattered all around after repeated defeats and now keep their name alive solely on the new forms of war constituted by regular strikes on unarmed villagers or organized groups such as has been the case in marketplaces, churches or mosques.

The few existing organized groups of the terrorists, especially those in camps or rickety hideouts have regularly been tracked, killed or arrested. The killing of some frontline Cameroonian soldiers was believed to be a cause for concern in terms of sapping morale. Rather, to avenge the loss of their brave brothers-in-arms Cameroonian soldiers have been in a particularly upbeat posture in the past months inflicting victory upon victory along the line.

After the routing of enemy forces stationed in the Nigerian village of Ngoshe last week, the Special Units of the Cameroonian defence forces working within the framework of the Sector One of the Multinational task forces and backed by Cameroonian troops of the special units of the Alpha and Emergence 4 operations last February 23 and 24 dismantled Boko Haram strongholds in Kumshe, another Nigerian locality situated some 15 kilometers into Nigerian territory. Of course, such a victory could not have been possible without the active and very useful collaboration of the Nigerian armed forces, leading us to salute the perfect synergy between the forces of the two brotherly countries badly needed for the success of the fight to crush Boko Haram.

In the helter-skelter that followed the over-running of the Kumshe camp, the renegades registered some 92 dead or neutralized while the victory spoils included diversified weapons and  explosives, detonators, detonating cords, suicide bomber jackets and other products used to actuate explosives as well as even bows and arrows, axes and knives. A huge quantity of propaganda material was also seized. One of the important windfalls of the capitulation of Kumshe is the fact that some 850 villagers held prisoner by the renegades were released by our valiant soldiers.

With this important military defeat of Boko Haram, victory has never been seen to be so close before because in previous instances, our forces limited themselves to military defeats in open confrontations; but lately our forces have regularly made important forays into their hideouts in which arsenal for the construction of bombs and other armaments have been systematically destroyed or captured.

In such situations, our forces have judiciously exploited the captured arsenal to give them a better idea of the modus operandi of the renegades and, consequently, readapt their fighting strategy. That is probably why there has been so much success these days. Also, the discovery of their hidden command and operations posts has also helped to reduce the rate of suicide attacks because many sites on which the artisanal bombs were made have been destroyed.

Unfortunately these victories almost always come with the loss of life and in the case of Kumshe, Cameroon lost two illustrious soldiers; but their loss, just as others before, will never sap the morale of our soldiers, determine to fight till the last man for a cause as good putting such a faceless enemy as Boko Haram underfoot. Rather, the blood of the fallen soldiers will certainly serve as a spur for the others to avenge their death for which the entire nation is greatly afflicted as expressed in a message of condolences to their families by the Supreme Commander.