The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants attempted to infiltrate Malam Fatori, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno, early on Wednesday, but the Nigerian military successfully repelled their attack.
According to reports, during the thwarted infiltration, the Nigerian Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), working closely with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), killed at least 61 ISWAP terrorists.
Zagazola Makama was informed by sources participating in the operation that the terrorists initiated the attack, moving forward on foot and using armed drones in a last-ditch effort to breach the troops’ defenses at the 68 Battalion site.
But the onslaught, which came through Bravo Company’s frontage from the Duguri general area, was thwarted by superior coordination between air and ground forces as well as overwhelming weaponry.
According to the reports, troops fought the militants in a tough struggle that resulted in significant deaths on the terrorists’ side, with the help of pinpoint airstrikes.
According to reports, the combination of air and ground operations made it possible to identify, target, and neutralize a significant number of terrorists.
“Our forces decimated the adversary’s fighting capacity by carrying out four extremely successful air interdiction attacks on identified enemy concentrations. After incurring significant fatalities, the terrorists were forced to retreat disorderly into the Arege general region due to the coordination of air and ground forces, the source claimed.
The sources pointed out that while battle damage assessment from those strikes was still in progress, additional strike support from friendly Nigerien air assets increased the strain on the escaping militants.
Four soldiers required medical assistance after suffering minor injuries during the operation.
In order to help the operation, the allied forces from the neighboring Niger Republic also carried out quick attack passes, which increased the pressure on the escaping militants.
The source continued, “The officer confirmed that four soldiers suffered minor injuries during the engagement and have since been stabilized in terms of own casualties.”
