Troops Repel Coordinated ISWAP Attacks on Military Bases in North-East Nigeria

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

Military troops have repelled a series of coordinated attacks by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on several military positions in the north-east of the country, the military says.

In a statement, the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai said the assaults targeted troop locations in Delwa, Goniri, Kukawa and Mainok, as well as a harbour position deep inside the Sambisa Forest. The attacks were launched overnight between Sunday and Monday and came from multiple directions in what the military described as an attempt to overwhelm the bases.

According to the statement, troops resisted the attacks with support from reinforcements and the air component of the operation. The military said the fighters were forced to retreat after suffering casualties, leaving behind several bodies and abandoning weapons.

Soldiers also recovered two PKT machine guns, six AK-47 rifles, eight rocket-propelled grenade bombs, four mortar bombs and ammunition of various calibres. Parts of the defensive perimeter at Goniri and Kukawa were briefly breached during the fighting, while some structures and vehicles were damaged, the statement added.

The military said all the affected locations remain under the control of government forces and that follow-up operations, including air and ground patrols as well as cordon-and-search operations in nearby communities, are continuing.

It also confirmed that some soldiers, including an officer in Kukawa, were killed during the clashes. The military said troops remain deployed in thearea to prevent further attacks and to pursue the fleeing fighters.