Four soldiers hurt in thwarted attack on Borno military base

Troops from Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in the North-east, have stopped a terror attack on a military base in Kukawa, Borno State. Four soldiers were injured and about 26 terrorists were killed during the ground and air operations.

Mohammed Goni, the spokesperson for the task force, shared a statement on Saturday evening. He said the attack happened around 10:50 p.m. on 28 August when the terrorists struck troops of the 101 Special Forces Battalion in Kukawa.

Mr Goni, an army captain, explained that the troops fought back with “direct and indirect fire,” forcing the attackers to retreat towards the Cross Kauwa area.

“Several terrorists were neutralised, while others were seen with gunshot wounds as they ran away,” Mr Goni stated. He added that troops later found some bodies of the attackers during follow-up operations.

While the fleeing terrorists escaped on motorcycles, Mr Goni mentioned that the air unit of the task force was sent to intercept them, even with “challenging weather conditions.”

The military spokesperson said air strikes targeted terrorists hiding under trees, resulting in the death of about 10 fighters.

He added that Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) units of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) later tracked around 20 motorcycles carrying fleeing terrorists towards the Tunbuns/Kangarwa area, which allowed for another precise air strike.

According to Mr Goni, the follow-up strike “neutralised” another 15 terrorists and destroyed 10 motorcycles. This action significantly reduced the group's ability to move and fight.

Ground troops also recovered two motorcycles, killed another terrorist, and seized various ammunition and other items during further operations.

The military spokesperson said the combined ground and air operations disrupted the attack, stopped the terrorists from escaping, and weakened their ability to regroup or launch more attacks in the area.

After the encounter, troops received air supplies of essential combat equipment to continue operations, he stated.

“Four personnel had no life-threatening injuries during the fight,” Mr Goni revealed. “The injured personnel were quickly evacuated by air for further medical care and are confirmed to be in stable condition.”

He mentioned that troops have started reorganizing and thoroughly checking the area, while assessing the damage from the battle and further evaluating the encounter.

He said the successful defense of Kukawa showed the task force’s ability “to detect, contain and respond effectively to terrorist threats through good integration of ground forces, air units, and intelligence capabilities.”

The military spokesperson also mentioned that the task force is dedicated to continuing offensive operations, intelligence-driven surveillance, and coordinated ground and air actions to weaken terrorist capabilities, restrict their movements, and protect communities in North-east Nigeria.