The Nigerian military has said that its forces have killed more than 50 terrorists while repelling a series of coordinated assaults on army positions in the Northeast.
In a statement on Thursday, the Media Information Officer for Operation Hadin Kai, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, said the attacks occurred between midnight and 0400 hours in the towns of Dikwa, Mafa, Gajibo, and Katarko.
The military said troops “stood firm, fought gallantly, and professionally repelled the attacks, dealing the terrorists a heavy decisive and bloody blow.”
The response was supported by air power, with the statement noting that “precision strikes, coupled with enhanced battlefield awareness” helped troops “respond with overwhelming and lethal force.”
According to the military, the “combined ground and air efforts resulted in the neutralisation of over 50 terrorists across all the locations.”
The army also reported recovering a significant cache of weapons, including 38 AK-47 rifles, 7 PKT machine guns, and 5 RPG tubes. It added that “over 70 of the wounded miscreants are still being pursued by ground troops.”
Intelligence cited in the statement suggested some attackers had “manoeuvred from the Cameroon axis,” while others emerged from the “Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist enclave.”
The military acknowledged that “some of the gallant troops were wounded in action but are in stable condition,” and that some defences were “momentarily breached” in Mafa and Dikwa.
The Military High Command has commended the troops for their “gallantry, doggedness and renewed charge,” stating their performance “reaffirms the military’s unwavering resolve and capacity to defend the nation’s territorial integrity.”
The northeast of Nigeria has been plagued by an insurgency led by Islamist militant groups for over a decade, leading to widespread displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.
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