Troops of Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), in collaboration with the Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have thwarted an attack on the Kukawa community in Borno State.
According to the task force, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists used a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) to ambush the soldiers.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama on Monday in Maiduguri that the terrorists launched their attack with the SVBIED, but the troops swiftly responded.
Soldiers of the 101 Special Forces Battalion thereafter killed the bandits in an ensuing fierce gun battle.
Additionally, he added that other surviving insurgents were forced to abandon their rifles and logistic supplies, fleeing towards Lake Chad.
Makama reiterated that the troops received aerial support from the Air Component of OPHK, which carried out precision airstrikes on the retreating ISWAP terrorists.
Besides the airstrikes, he added that the reinforcement of the special forces battalion has helped consolidate military dominance, forcing the terrorists to retreat in disarray.
The troops also recovered several fighting equipment during the coordinated military operations in the Lake Chad region.
Military intelligence sources warned that ISWAP may attempt to regroup by potentially targeting reinforcements or military posts with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
He, therefore, urged the troops to maintain heightened vigilance.
“This is in anticipation of a possible attack on the military base at Malam Fatori, a border community with Niger in Borno State,” said Makama.
