Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have killed scores of Boko Haram terrorists during a failed attack on a military formation in Goniri, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.
The development comes barely two days after troops reportedly repelled a similar assault on the headquarters of the 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari, where about 50 terrorists were said to have been killed.
Spokesman of the operation, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, disclosed in a statement that the latest attack targeted the 120 Task Force Battalion, Goniri, under Sector 2 of OPHK, on Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday.
According to him, the terrorists advanced from the Mandunari axis around midnight but were detected early by troops on surveillance operations.
‘The OPHK troops immediately executed a well-coordinated spoiling attack which caught the terrorists in a devastating killing zone,’ he stated.
Uba said the troops successfully prevented the insurgents from breaching the camp, adding that no equipment was lost during the several-hour gun battle.
He further disclosed that the Air Component of OPHK and the Nigerian Army Aviation provided aerial support, carrying out what he described as a coordinated air-land assault that decimated the fleeing insurgents.
‘The support from the Air Component of OPHK and the Nigerian Army Aviation subsequently completed a well-synchronised air-land assault that decimated the retreating insurgents and sealed the totality of their defeat.
‘Exploitation of the general area revealed extensive blood trails, body parts and battle damage consistent with scores of terrorist casualties, in addition to terrorist corpses recovered within the immediate vicinity,’ he said.
Items recovered from the scene, according to the military spokesman, include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), two PKT machine guns, five AK-47 rifles, several belts of assorted ammunition and other personal effects.
He, however, confirmed that some soldiers sustained injuries during the encounter and are currently receiving medical treatment.
‘Exploitation operations are still ongoing within the general area to consolidate gains and track fleeing terrorists,’ he added.
Uba noted that the failed attack underscored the operational dominance of Operation HADIN KAI and commended the troops for their resilience and gallantry in the fight against insurgency in the North-East.