Troops of the Nigerian Army have killed more than 25 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists during an attack on military positions in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The terrorists reportedly launched a coordinated attack on troops of the 101 Special Forces Battalion from four directions, but the soldiers repelled the assault.
The troops, supported by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, engaged the insurgents in a gun battle and forced the surviving terrorists to flee.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force, North East, Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Mohammed Goni, said 14 bodies of the terrorists had so far been recovered.
Goni said, “Preliminary assessment indicates that over 25 terrorists were neutralised, with 14 bodies recovered so far.”
He added that troops also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition during the operation, including six AK-47 rifles.
According to him, the military was still conducting operations in the area to recover more weapons and prevent the fleeing terrorists from regrouping.
“Further exploitation is ongoing to recover additional weapons, track the fleeing terrorists and prevent them from regrouping,” he said.
Some soldiers were also killed during the encounter.
The Nigerian Army expressed condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers.
The operation comes amid continued military offensives against terrorist groups in the North-East.
The Army said troops would continue patrols, intelligence-led operations and offensive actions with other security agencies to disrupt terrorist networks and protect communities.
