By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, have repelled a coordinated attack by suspected ISWAP terrorists on the Headquarters of 27 Brigade and Buni Gari Checkpoint in Buni Gari, neutralising no fewer than 50 insurgents and recovering a large cache of arms and ammunition.
The military said the large-scale assault occurred in the early hours of Thursday, at about 2:00 a.m., when heavily armed terrorists attacked from multiple directions in what appeared to be an attempt to overrun the military formation.
Troops, however, resisted the offensive and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, forcing them to retreat in disarray.
The Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, saying troops displayed superior combat power and tactical discipline in crushing the assault.
According to him, the attackers initially launched their offensive from the western flank before reinforcing from the southern axis near Ganinga Junction and later the south-western flank in a bid to encircle the troops.
Uba said soldiers held their ground and effectively employed indirect fire and offensive-defensive tactics to dismantle the attack from all fronts, adding that the terrorists retreated while evacuating some of their dead and wounded.
“At no point was any section of the camp breached, as the integrity of the location remained fully intact throughout the engagement,” he stated, noting that exploitation of the area led to the recovery of 10 terrorist corpses, while intelligence reports indicated that over 20 additional bodies were discovered along withdrawal routes around Gashua, Azare and Kamuya.
He further revealed that the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI played a critical role in the operation by providing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance support, as well as conducting precision air interdiction strikes on identified terrorist positions and fleeing fighters.
According to the military, the synchronised air-land operation accounted for additional casualties among the insurgents as air assets pursued retreating terrorists along escape corridors.
Items recovered from the scene included eight AK-47 rifles, two General Purpose Machine Guns, two Rocket-Propelled Grenade tubes, five RPG bombs, three RPG chargers, ammunition boxes, loaded magazines, bandoliers and three Improvised Explosive Device canisters.
The military said some operational platforms, including Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and gun trucks, sustained minimal damage during the engagement, while wounded personnel were receiving medical attention and were in stable condition.
However, the operation recorded casualties, with two soldiers reportedly paying the supreme price during the fierce encounter.
Operation HADIN KAI added that troops, alongside volunteer forces, had intensified exploitation operations to track fleeing insurgents and prevent any regrouping, reaffirming its commitment to sustaining pressure on terrorist groups across the North-East.
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