Troops of the Nigerian Army swooped on the stronghold of Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Timbuktu triangle in the Lake Chad Region.
The Nigerian troops also recovered a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, gun truck mounted with an anti-aircraft gun and a cache of arms and ammunition.
Director, Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu in a statement, said the troops in conjunction with hybrid force and element of Civilian Joint Task Force achieved the feat on Wednesday, 28 February, 2024 after a fierce battle with the insurgents.
Nwachukwu said the insurgents attacked troops with Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), Mortar, Gun trucks and motorbikes during the attack.
He noted that the hoodlums however fell under the overwhelming superior fire power of the troops, forcing them to abandon their stronghold, armaments and equipment in disarray.
In the process, the Army spokesman said three terrorists were neutralized while one MRAP, one gun truck, one Dushka Machine Gun, one AK 47 Rifle and one locally fabricated gun were recovered in the operation.
He further disclosed that one Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Bomb, 273 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, one Pumping machine, 65 Dushka links, 48 General Purpose Machine Gun links and three motorbikes were recovered by troops in the encounter.
The Director aldo said that troops were exploiting the success in pursuit of the routed insurgents.
In a separate operation, troops also conducted a fighting patrol to criminals’ hideouts in Katakpa Village in Toto Local Government area of Nasarawa State.
Nwachukwu one of the criminals was neutralized and two AK-47 rifles, one Pump Action semi- automatic rifle, three AK-47 magazines and 90 rounds of 7.62 mm Special ammunition were recovered.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.- Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, commending the troops for the successful operations also charged them to remain resilient and sustain the momentum of the operations.
