Twenty-two Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) fighters have been killed during a gun battle with troops at Mallam Fatori town, towards the fringes of Lake Chad, in Borno State.
Spokesperson of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) Col. Muhammad Dole, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
It said the operation was part of the design to quickly end the menace of insurgency in the Lake Chad Region, and executed alongside troops from Sector 3 Monguno (Nigeria) and Sector 4 Diffa (Niger Republic).
The statement said the soldiers met strong resistance from the terrorists who launched several mortar attacks, laid Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) along the troop’s route of advance and further attacks with Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs).
It said the terrorists were however subdued by the troops superior firepower, which forced the terrorists to abandon their enclaves and fled.
“In the course of this operation, 22 Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised, 5 of their gun trucks destroyed, 5 motorcycles and several logistic bunkers were destroyed while 8 AK47 rifles were recovered,” the statement said.
” Regrettably, six members of the JTF – two officers and four other ranks – from both countries paid the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty with about 16 wounded in action. 17 suspects were arrested in the general area of operations and are being profiled.”
