Troops kill 114 fighters of Boko Haram, ISWAP in Nigeria
Nigerian soldiers capture a terrorist after an operation against Boko Haram terrorists at a terrorist camp in Borno, Nigeria on March 29, 2016.
What you need to know:
- 70 terrorists were drowned in a river in Gaftari following aircraft bombardment by the Nigerian military in the Lake Chad region.
- Ground troops with the support of the Civilian Joint Task Force killed another 44 other terrorists.
- The latest attacks were carried out by the Nigeria Air Force with the deployment of Super Tucano fighter jets supported by ground troops and a civilian joint task force.
More than 114 terrorists believed to be members of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been reported killed on Saturday, bringing the number of insurgents killed in less than three days to 242 in North East Nigeria.
While 70 terrorists were drowned in a river in Gaftari following aircraft bombardment by the Nigerian military in the Lake Chad region in North East Borno state, ground troops with the support of the Civilian Joint Task Force killed 44 other terrorists.
More than 128 terrorists had been killed on September 1, 2022, in the region in a continuation of 'Operation No Mercy’ declared by the Nigerian military against jihadists and bandits.
Saturday’s offensive saw the decimation of the terrorists from their hideouts in Gaftari and Sheruri, all villages under Bama and Konduga Local Government area of embattled Borno state where fighting had been raging since 2009.
An update on Saturday morning said over 70 of the terrorists who escaped from the military aircraft bombardment drowned in the river.
"This morning around 9 am, they buried 40 of their fighters at Gaftari village as the search and rescue of the remaining 30 continued,’' one of the locals, who preferred to remain anonymous said.
Gaftari and Sheruri are villages located along Bama and Konduga Local governments, some 68 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital.
A security source who participated in the operation said the operation was carried out early in the morning by troops of the Nigerian Army and members of the Civilian JTF.
Joint operation
The latest attacks were carried out by the Nigeria Air Force with the deployment of Super Tucano fighter jets supported by ground troops and a civilian joint task force.
The offensive in which 128 terrorists were killed on Friday was conducted in the Alhaji Isiaka location and Kuduru in Igabi Local Government Area of the state.
“The strikes were successful as at least 82 bodies of the eliminated terrorists and bandits were sighted after the clearance operations by special forces on the ground in North East Borno state.
“Similar strikes were also undertaken at Udawa along Kaduna – Birnin Gwari Road in Kaduna State after receiving intelligence of terrorist activities of cow rustling in the area and 46 bodies of bandits were retrieved.
“Feedback from local sources and troops revealed that the terrorists suffered heavy casualties from the airstrikes,” the military reported on September 2, 2022.
The operations at Amchile and Gargash, both terrorist locations in Bama axis of Borno State, witnessed terrorists fleeing from the point of impact and hiding under nearby trees which were subsequently attacked.’’
The Spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed that the military had sustained the tempo of its operation against the terrorists.
“Operational commanders have been directed to sustain the tempo of the military decisiveness against the terrorists and insurgents where ever they are at this period,” he added.
