Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have killed no fewer than 50 Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State during a counteroffensive by troops, the Nigerian Army revealed on Monday.
ISWAP fighters had on Saturday attacked a military Super Camp in Askira Uba but were reportedly repelled.
As the fight between the Nigerian troops and ISWAP was ongoing, some of the terrorists laid an ambush and killed the Commander 28 Task Force Brigade, Brig. Gen. Dzarma Zirkushu and three soldiers on their way to render support.
- Army confirms death of Brigadier General Zirkusu in recent ISWAP attack
- Again, ISWAP destroys high tension towers, puts Maiduguri in darkness
Spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Monday, explained that troops of 115 Task Force Battalion conducted dawn exploitation towards Leho village and environs.
Nwachukwu said, “Troops of Joint Task Force, North East Operation HADIN KAI have neutralised over 50 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and destroyed several of their combat equipment in a fierce counteroffensive in Askira Uba LGA of Borno State.
“In the counteroffensive, troops eliminated top commanders of ISWAP as well as foot soldiers. The gallant troops also unleashed massive destruction on the terrorists’ Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle and several gun trucks.
“It would be recalled, that 115 Task Force Battalion had an encounter with ISWAP terrorists in Askira Uba on 13 November 2021, during which the troops aggressively defended their location and followed up with a ferocious counter-attack.
“Unfortunately, the Commander 28 Task Force Brigade alongside three of his soldiers paid the supreme price, as they reinforced troops to defend the location.
“The equipment destroyed by troops include an MRAP vehicle and 11 gun trucks. The troops also recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition viz., five gun trucks, two anti-aircraft guns, five AK 47 rifles, one HK Machine Gun and one HK Machine Gun link.
“Relatedly, troops of 115 Task Force Battalion conducted a dawn operation towards Leho village and environs, where they discovered 3 corpses of the fleeing terrorists and also recovered 2,560 rounds of 7.62mm Special and 29 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition abandoned by the terrorists,” the statement said. (DT)
