ISWAP Terrorists Killed in Failed Borno Attack

Troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, have repelled an attempted attack by Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists on a military base in Borno State.

The attack was launched at about 2am on Saturday, August 15, against the 162 Amphibious Battalion at the Forward Operating Base in Mandaragirau, Biu Local Government Area.

According to the military, the terrorists approached the base from two different directions in an attempt to overwhelm the troops and gain access to the camp.

The troops detected the advancing fighters through their early warning and surveillance systems and quickly deployed a combat team to intercept one of the groups.

A fierce exchange of gunfire followed, during which the soldiers defeated the attackers on that route. A second group reportedly tried to avoid the ambush and enter the military camp from another direction but was also stopped by the troops.

The coordinated response forced the terrorists to retreat from the area. The soldiers then pursued the fleeing fighters and searched the locations where the clashes occurred as well as the routes used during their withdrawal.

Several ISWAP fighters were reportedly killed during the operation, while troops recovered a number of weapons and other equipment from the area.

Items recovered included AK-47 rifles with loaded magazines, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, RPG bombs and chargers, a video camera and other equipment believed to have been used by the terrorists.

The military also said surveillance footage later showed some of the fleeing terrorists attempting to drag the bodies of their dead colleagues towards the Timbuktu Triangle.

The operation was carried out without any reported casualty among the troops, according to the Joint Task Force.

The Acting Media Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the successful defence of the base demonstrated the preparedness and combat capability of the troops deployed in the North-East.

He commended the officers and soldiers of the 162 Amphibious Battalion for their response to the attack and their efforts in preventing the terrorists from infiltrating the military position.

Operation Hadin Kai said it would continue offensive and defensive operations aimed at restricting the activities of terrorist groups, denying them freedom of movement and restoring security across the North-East.