Three soldiers have been killed while 10 others sustained various degrees of injuries in an ambush on their convoy by the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP), while repelling terrorists in Abadam local government area of Borno State.
It was gathered that the troops who were part of clearance operation against the terror group comprising of Sector 3 and Sector 4 Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), came under attack on Sunday by a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), while advancing towards ISWAP camp in Tunbum Reza.
An intelligence information obtained by a counter insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region Zagazola Makama from top security sources, which was made available to LEADERSHIP revealed that the joint troops effectively responded with superior firepower and successfully fought off the ambush.
The sources said one of the VBIED hit an MRAP belonging to Niger Republic troops of Sector 4 MNJTF while the other hit a Hilux truck.
The sources said that terrorists suffered significant casualties, although the exact number is yet to be determined.
“This attack comes less than 24 hours after the troops thwarted similar attack in Arege resulting in the killing of 10 ISWAP terrorists and the destruction of their three vehicles.
“The ISWAP terrorist made an audacious attempt to infiltrate the advancing troops’ harbor using a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), but was instantly naturalized,” the sources said.
The wounded personnel were evacuated for treatment.
The ongoing operation by troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) nicknamed Operation HARBIN ZUMA was designed to clear the terrorists’ hideouts and restore total sanity in the Lake Chad region.
ISWAP on the other hand had resorted to desperate but extreme measures to fight back against the intrusion of their enclaves by the military through series of attacks.
