Thirty Militants Killed as Troops Repel ISWAP Attack in North-East Nigeria

By Zainab Uzomah| Abuja

More than thirty suspected Islamist terrorist have been killed after troops repelled an attack on a military base in north-eastern Nigeria, the army has said.

According to a statement signed by the Media Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the attack took place in the early hours of Saturday at a forward operating base in Mandaragirau, where troops engaged fighters linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The military said soldiers responded with coordinated ambushes and a combined offensive-defensive strategy, forcing the attackers into a chaotic retreat, while air support provided surveillance and precision strikes.

It said follow-up operations along the militants’ withdrawal routes inflicted further losses. About 38 fighters were reported killed, with eight bodies recovered at the scene, while local intelligenceindicated that more than 30 additional bodies were sighted along the Garin Mallum–Garin Gajere axis.

Weapons recovered included seven AK-47 rifles, eight magazines, rocket-propelled grenade bombs and assorted ammunition. The army said it suffered no fatalities, although one armoured vehicle was struck and some personnel were injured but treated.

Troops are continuing clearance operations in the area, as the military says it is consolidating gains and pursuing fleeing fighters.