Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Several communities in North-East Nigeria came under coordinated attacks by terrorists suspected to be members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), triggering fierce gun battles with troops and leaving casualties on both sides.
The attacks, which targeted Kukawa in Borno State, Dalwa village in Konduga Local Government Area, and Goniri in Yobe State, were repelled by troops under Operation Hadin Kai with support from the air component.
Security sources said the insurgents launched the assault on Kukawa town late Sunday, targeting a military base located in the council headquarters near Lake Chad.
Troops of the Joint Task Force North-East engaged the attackers in a prolonged gun battle, killing several insurgents while also suffering casualties.
A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, disclosed that weapons recovered after the clash included bandoliers of PKT rounds, an AK-47 rifle, a BHT machine gun, two mortar bombs, and four hand grenades.
He noted that bloodstains and drag marks found outside the military camp indicated that several insurgents were either killed or injured during the encounter.
In another incident, terrorists reportedly stormed Dalwa village in Konduga Local Government Area around 1:00 a.m., setting ablaze about 75 per cent of newly constructed houses allocated to residents who had only recently returned after more than a decade of displacement due to the insurgency.
Sources said the attackers left a trail of destruction and civilian casualties in the community located on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Meanwhile, troops conducting clearance operations under Operation Desert Sanity in the Sambisa Forest also foiled another terrorist assault.
The insurgents attempted to attack Special Forces troops at about 2:20 a.m., but were repelled after a fierce firefight.
Military sources said two terrorists were killed during the encounter, while troops recovered a PKT machine gun, three rocket-propelled grenade bombs, 51 rounds of 7.62×51mm ammunition, and 108 rounds of 7.62×54mm ammunition.
Also recovered were two Baofeng communication radios, a Redmi Android phone, and three Airtel SIM cards believed to belong to the insurgents.
According to the sources, no soldier was killed or injured during the operation, and no military equipment was lost.
In Yobe State, insurgents again attempted to overrun troops of the 120 Battalion stationed in Goniri, a community in Gujba Local Government Area located deep within the Sambisa axis.
The terrorists reportedly breached the defensive perimeter and engaged troops in intense fighting before the air component of Operation Hadin Kai intervened.
Fighter jets deployed to the area carried out precision strikes, dropping two bombs on the insurgents’ positions and killing at least 10 fighters who were attempting to flee.
Security sources said the swift air support helped troops regain control of the situation and neutralise the advancing insurgents.
In a related development, suspected fighters linked to the Islamic State in the Sahel attacked Tahoua Airport in western Niger Republic early Monday.
The facility hosts the Nigerien Air Force’s Bayraktar TB2 drone fleet used in counterterrorism operations across the Sahel.
The attack, which occurred around 1:30 a.m., triggered exchanges of gunfire around the air base.
As of press time, security authorities had yet to issue official statements on the series of attacks.
