Suspected fighters of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province launched coordinated attacks on several communities in Borno State and Yobe State, leading to intense confrontations with troops of the Joint Task Force North East Operation Hadin Kai.
The incidents were reported in Kukawa town, Dalwa village and Goniri community, where insurgents attempted to overrun military positions and communities but met stiff resistance from security forces.
Kukawa, the administrative headquarters of Kukawa Local Government Area located near Lake Chad, was attacked late Sunday when insurgents reportedly targeted a military facility in the town.
Security sources said troops of Operation Hadin Kai, backed by air support, repelled the assault after a fierce exchange of gunfire that resulted in the death of several terrorists. Some security personnel were also feared to have lost their lives during the clash.
A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, disclosed on Monday that the attackers engaged troops in a prolonged firefight after storming the military camp.
According to him, arms and ammunition recovered from the scene included bandoliers of PKT ammunition, an AK-47 rifle, a BHT machine gun, two mortar bombs and four hand grenades.
Makama noted that blood stains and drag marks discovered outside the camp suggested that some insurgents were either killed or wounded during the battle.
He added that troops later intercepted an injured suspect believed to be one of the attackers being transported within the community. The suspect reportedly attempted to escape, leading to further gunfire.
He said the situation had since been brought under control, with troops maintaining security in the area while continuing operations to track fleeing insurgents.
In a separate incident, suspected terrorists attacked Dalwa village in Konduga Local Government Area around 1 a.m., setting fire to houses in a settlement established for residents who had returned after more than a decade of displacement.
Sources said about three-quarters of the houses in the resettled community were destroyed during the attack, while several residents were feared killed.
Meanwhile, troops carrying out clearance operations under Operation Desert Sanity within Operation Hadin Kai reportedly thwarted another terrorist assault on their position in the Sambisa forest axis.
Security sources said the insurgents attempted to overrun Special Forces troops at about 2:20 a.m. on Sunday but were pushed back after a fierce gun battle.
No soldier was reportedly killed or injured, and military equipment remained intact.
During a follow-up search operation, troops discovered the bodies of two insurgents along with blood trails believed to indicate that other attackers fled with their wounded.
Recovered items included a PKT machine gun, three rocket-propelled grenade bombs, 51 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm ammunition and 108 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammunition.
Troops also seized two Baofeng communication radios, a Redmi Android phone and three Airtel SIM cards suspected to belong to members of the terrorist group.
Sources added that the troops remained motivated as clearance operations continued under Operation Desert Sanity V.
In another development, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai reportedly eliminated several terrorists during an attack on troops of the 120 Battalion in Goniri community in Yobe State.
According to security sources, insurgents attempted to storm the military location shortly after midnight on Monday and engaged troops in a fierce battle after breaching the defensive perimeter.
Fighter aircraft were immediately deployed following a distress call from troops on the ground, providing close air support during the encounter.
The jets reportedly carried out precision strikes on the attackers’ positions, dropping bombs that killed at least 10 terrorists who attempted to flee upon sighting the aircraft.
The swift response by the air component was said to have disrupted the assault and helped restore control to the troops.
Meanwhile, reports also indicated that suspected fighters linked to the Islamic State in the Sahel launched an attack on Tahoua Airport in western Niger Republic in the early hours of Monday.
Makama said the attackers targeted a military air base housing the Nigerien Air Force’s Bayraktar TB2 drones used for surveillance and operations against insurgent groups across the Sahel region.
As of the time of filing this report, there had been no official statement from security authorities regarding the incidents. In
