24 terrorists killed as troops recover high-calibre weapons in midnight battle
Not fewer than 24 terrorists were killed during a gun battle with troops of Operation Hadin Kai, a military offensive against Boko Haram and splinter groups, at Kurareta in North
Not fewer than 24 terrorists were killed during a gun battle with troops of Operation Hadin Kai, a military offensive against Boko Haram and splinter groups, at Kurareta in North East Nigeria.
The terrorists were killed in the early hours of Thursday, April 23, while repelling an attack on Kukareta, spokesperson of Operation Hadin Kai, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba disclosed this in a statement.
The feat came barely 24 hours after airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) killed more than 30 fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) along the Lake Chad waterways near the Kaniram Island axis in northern Borno State.
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According to Uba, the attack commenced shortly after midnight and lasted until about 3 a.m, but the troops met it with a swift and coordinated response.
He said, “The troops executed a deliberate offensive-defensive operation, effectively containing the assault and forcing the terrorists into a disorderly withdrawal.”
“During the engagement, troops inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with 24 terrorists neutralised so far.
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“Ongoing exploitation of the battlefield has led to the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition, including 18 AK-47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), two PKT machine guns, three Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) tubes, two mortar tubes, four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines, and large quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition for PKT systems.”
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The military spokesperson said two soldiers were wounded during the encounter, but had since been stabilised.
“Additionally, one reinforcing armoured vehicle sustained damage, with all its tyres blown out during the engagement,” Uba said.
He said that despite the setback, troops have continued the operation to recover additional bodies and equipment along the terrorists’ withdrawal routes, which were “littered with blood trails and abandoned medical supplies.”
Uba said the military high command has commended the troops for their “impressive” battle performance and urged them to sustain aggressive operations.
“This successful operation highlights the resilience, combat readiness, and fire superiority of OPHK troops in denying terrorists freedom of action.
“Operations will continue with sustained offensive pressure to consolidate gains and decisively defeat all terrorist elements across the Joint Operations Area,” he said.
