Nigerian troops have foiled coordinated attacks by terrorists on two military bases in Borno State, killing insurgents, recovering weapons and forcing a Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) commander to surrender in what the military described as another major setback for terrorist groups operating in the North-East.
The spokesman for Joint Task Force North-East, Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, said in a statement on Friday that the operations were carried out on September 17 in Nganzai and Guzamala Local Government Areas of Borno State.
He said the first attack was launched against the Forward Operating Base in Gajiram, where troops, acting on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance provided by the Multinational Joint Task Force, detected the approaching terrorists before they could strike.
According to him, soldiers immediately took defensive positions while the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI provided close air support, forcing the attackers to retreat without breaching the base.
Hours later, suspected ISWAP fighters mounted another assault on the Forward Operating Base at Mairari in Guzamala Local Government Area, but troops again repelled the attack with support from military aircraft.
Captain Goni said troops who swept the area after the battle recovered four terrorists’ bodies alongside AK-47 rifles, magazines, ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade bombs and a camcorder abandoned by the fleeing insurgents.
He added that some soldiers sustained injuries during the fighting but were stabilised before being evacuated by air for further medical treatment.
The military spokesman also disclosed that sustained offensives across the North-East forced two JAS members, including a Qa’id (commander), to surrender with their weapons.
He said the latest successes underscore the impact of sustained ground and air operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP, which have continued to dismantle terrorist hideouts, recover arms and compel insurgents to surrender across the region.
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