Troops of Operation HADIN KAI repelled a night attack by ISWAP terrorists on Forward Operating Base Mairari in Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, though two soldiers and one Civilian Joint Task Force member were killed in the fighting, the military said Thursday.
The attack occurred at about 11:25 p.m. on July 1, when terrorists assaulted the base, according to Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer at the Joint Task Force (North East) headquarters in Maiduguri.
Troops of CIB XIX engaged the attackers in a fierce firefight, forcing them to withdraw after inflicting heavy casualties, Goni said in a statement. Surveillance footage showed the terrorists evacuating several dead and wounded fighters from the battlefield.
Soldiers recovered AK-47 rifles, ammunition-loaded magazines and rocket-propelled gun tubes from the scene, the statement said.
No civilians were killed in the attack, which the military described as an attempt to disrupt the resettlement of Mairari, a community that has recently received over 950 returning households. Some military equipment was damaged by rocket-propelled gunfire during the encounter.
In a related operation, a reinforcement team from Monguno detected and safely detonated two improvised explosive devices planted along a nearby route, then engaged fleeing terrorists, inflicting further casualties, according to the statement.
The Theatre Command mourned the soldiers and CJTF members killed in the attack, extending condolences to their families, and commended troops for maintaining control of the base.
“Operation HADIN KAI remains steadfast in its commitment to defeating terrorism and restoring lasting peace, security, and stability across the North East,” the statement said.
