Troops kill 48 terrorists, recover arms in Borno, Yobe operations

Troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation Hadin Kai, have killed 48 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters and recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition during operations in Borno and Yobe states.

The operations, which took place between Thursday and Friday, involved the foiling of attacks on military positions in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and the North East Theatre Training School (NETTS), Buni Yadi, in Gujba LGA of Yobe State.

In Bitta, troops repelled an attempted terrorist assault on the night of October 29, with support from the Nigerian Air Force. The combined response of ground troops and air assets overwhelmed the attackers, inflicting heavy casualties and disrupting their operation.

In a related development, troops launched a counter-offensive against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS in Buni Yadi on October 29 and continued into the early hours of October 30.

The approximately five-hour engagement was coordinated by the Theatre Command, with the integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities, as well as air and ground assets.

The military said the counter-offensive resulted in the death of 48 terrorists, while troops recovered 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns, one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.

Other recovered items included 30 rounds of 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary ammunition, 2,738 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 223 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 2,054 rounds of PKT ammunition.

The engagements resulted in the death of one soldier, while two others sustained minor injuries and are responding to treatment. The military said troops’ morale remained high as they continued operations against terrorist groups across the theatre.