At least one ISWAP militant has been taken alive, while a senior commander identified as Abu Umar Bundi Munzir was killed along with 24 other insurgents in Borno State.
This followed the successful disruption of a coordinated assault on the Kukareta community by troops of Operation HADIN KAI.
Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Theatre Commander of North East Operation Hadin Kai, revealed this on Thursday in Maiduguri while giving an update to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the failed ISWAP attack.
According to NAN, the insurgents initiated the attack in the early hours of Thursday, just after midnight, aiming to overrun the area. However, troops of Sector 2 mounted a strong resistance and launched a sustained counter-offensive that continued until about 3:00 a.m.
Abubakar stated that during the clash, the terrorists’ leader, Abu Umar Bundi Munzir, was among those neutralised, as troops successfully repelled the attack and forced the remaining fighters into a chaotic retreat.
The theatre commander confirmed that 24 additional insurgents were killed during the operation, bringing the total number neutralised to 25.
”Troops subsequently conducted exploitation of the battlefield, leading to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition, including 18 AK-47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Guns, two PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns and three RPG tubes.
”Others include two mortar tubes, four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines, and large quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition,” he said.
He further disclosed that two soldiers suffered gunshot injuries during the exchange but have been stabilised, while an armoured reinforcement vehicle sustained tyre damage in the course of the firefight.
He added that follow-up exploitation efforts are ongoing to recover the bodies of fleeing terrorists, as well as equipment abandoned along escape routes, which were reportedly marked by blood stains and medical supplies.
The commander described the outcome as a major success in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign, emphasising that pressure would continue to be applied to restrict terrorist activities across the North-East theatre.
