Several terrorists were reportedly killed during multiple coordinated attacks on communities in Borno State and Yobe State, following fierce clashes between insurgents and troops of the Joint Task Force North East Operation Hadin Kai.
The attacks occurred in Kukawa town, Dalwa village and Goniri community, triggering gun battles between security forces and suspected fighters of Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram.
Kukawa, the headquarters of Kukawa Local Government Area, lies near the shores of Lake Chad, while Dalwa is a resettled community in Konduga Local Government Area on the outskirts of Maiduguri. Goniri is located in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, within the Sambisa forest axis.
Sources said the attack on Kukawa occurred late Sunday when insurgents attempted to storm a military base in the area.
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, supported by the air component, reportedly repelled the assault after an intense gun battle that left several terrorists dead, although some security personnel were also feared killed during the confrontation.
A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, disclosed in a post on Monday that troops engaged the insurgents in a prolonged firefight after they launched the attack on the military facility.
According to him, weapons recovered from the insurgents included bandoliers of PKT ammunition, an AK-47 rifle, a BHT machine gun, two mortar bombs and four hand grenades.
He added that traces of blood and drag marks discovered around the area suggested that several insurgents were either killed or wounded during the encounter.
Makama also said troops later intercepted an injured terrorist being moved within the community, adding that the suspect attempted to escape, prompting another round of gunfire.
He noted that the security situation in the area had since been brought under control, with troops conducting follow-up operations to track fleeing insurgents.
In a related incident, suspected terrorists invaded Dalwa village around 1 a.m., setting ablaze a large number of houses recently built for residents who had returned after more than a decade of displacement.
Sources said about 75 per cent of the houses in the resettlement estate were destroyed during the attack, while several civilians were reportedly killed.
Meanwhile, troops conducting clearance operations under Operation Desert Sanity of Operation Hadin Kai also foiled another terrorist attack on their position in Sambisa Forest.
Security sources said the insurgents attempted to overrun Special Forces troops at about 2:20 a.m. on Sunday but were repelled after a fierce exchange of gunfire.
No soldier was killed or injured during the encounter, and no military equipment was lost.
During a follow-up search of the area, troops reportedly discovered the bodies of two terrorists alongside blood trails, suggesting that the insurgents evacuated some of their dead and 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 recovered two Baofeng communication radios, a Redmi Android phone and three Airtel SIM cards believed to belong to the insurgents.
Sources added that soldiers remained in high spirits as clearance operations continued under Operation Desert Sanity V.
In another incident, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai reportedly neutralised several terrorists during an attack on troops of the 120 Battalion in Goniri, Yobe State.
Sources said the insurgents attempted to overrun the military base around 12:15 a.m. on Monday after breaching the defensive perimeter.
Fighter jets were immediately deployed after troops issued a distress call, providing close air support to forces on the ground.
The aircraft reportedly carried out precision strikes on the insurgents’ positions, dropping two bombs that killed at least 10 terrorists who attempted to flee upon sighting the aircraft.
The swift intervention by the air component was said to have disrupted the attack and helped troops regain control of the situation.
Meanwhile, reports also indicated that suspected fighters of the Islamic State in the Sahel launched an attack on Tahoua Airport in western Niger Republic in the early hours of Monday.
According to Makama, the attackers targeted a military air base hosting the Nigerien Air Force’s Bayraktar TB2 drone fleet used in counterterrorism operations across the Sahel.
He said the attack occurred around 1:30 a.m., leading to an exchange of gunfire around the strategic air facility.
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As of the time of filing this report, security authorities had yet to issue official statements regarding the incidents.
