By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have successfully repelled an attempted midnight attack by suspected ISWAP terrorists on the 120 Task Force Battalion in Gonori, Borno State, inflicting heavy losses on the insurgents during a coordinated air and ground assault.
The terrorists reportedly launched the attack from the Mandunari axis late Saturday night, but troops under Sector 2 detected the movement early and swiftly responded, preventing any breach of the military camp.
The Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, made this known in a statement on Sunday, saying troops deployed an ambush team which intercepted the insurgents around midnight and launched a coordinated spoiling attack.
Uba said the operation forced the terrorists into a deadly killing zone, resulting in what he described as a devastating defeat for the insurgents, while no military equipment was lost and the camp remained intact.
He added that air assets from the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI and the Nigerian Army Aviation later joined the operation, carrying out precision strikes on retreating terrorists in a synchronised air-land offensive.
According to him, follow-up exploitation of the area revealed blood trails, body parts and extensive battle damage, indicating that scores of terrorists may have been killed during the encounter.
The military also recovered several weapons and combat items from the scene, including one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), two PKT machine guns, five AK-47 rifles and belts of assorted ammunition.
Uba further disclosed that troops recovered terrorist corpses within the vicinity, while wounded soldiers were in stable condition and receiving medical care.
He said clearance operations were ongoing to consolidate gains and track down fleeing insurgents, reaffirming the determination of Operation HADIN KAI to sustain pressure on terrorist groups operating across the North-East.
