Troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, have repelled an attempted attack by ISWAP terrorists on the 120 Task Force Battalion in Gonori, under Sector 2, killing several insurgents and recovering weapons.
The attack, according to the military, occurred late on Saturday night and lasted into the early hours of Sunday.
In a statement signed by the Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, the terrorists reportedly advanced from the Mandunari axis around midnight but were detected early by an ambush team.
The statement said troops immediately launched a coordinated spoiling attack that trapped the insurgents in what it described as a “devastating killing zone.”
It added that no part of the military camp was breached and no equipment was lost during the encounter.
According to the statement, air platforms from the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI and the Nigerian Army Aviation later joined ground troops in a synchronised air-land assault that further neutralised the fleeing terrorists.
“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,” the statement said.
Recovered items included one General Purpose Machine Gun, two PKT machine guns, five AK-47 rifles, several belts of assorted ammunition and other personal effects.
The military also disclosed that soldiers wounded during the operation were in stable condition and receiving medical attention.
It noted that exploitation operations were ongoing to track fleeing insurgents and consolidate gains in the area.
The statement described the failed assault as further evidence of the operational dominance of Operation HADIN KAI against terrorist groups operating in the North-East.
