Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
TROOPS of Operation HADIN KAI have repelled a brazen night assault by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in Gonori, inflicting a crushing defeat on the terrorist group in a fierce air-land battle that stretched from late Saturday into the early hours of Sunday.
The attack began around midnight on 9 May, with insurgents advancing from the Mandunari axis toward the 120 Task Force Battalion position under Sector 2. But the military’s early warning systems picked up the movement, and troops launched a well-coordinated spoiling attack that turned the approach into a lethal kill zone.
According to a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer for the Joint Task Force (North East), not a single part of the camp was breached, and no equipment was lost.
“The terrorists were caught in a devastating killing zone,” Uba said. “Support from the Air Component of OPHK and the Nigerian Army Aviation, scrambled early, completed a synchronised air-land assault that decimated the retreating insurgents and sealed the totality of their defeat.”
In the aftermath, exploitation of the area revealed extensive blood trails, scattered body parts and corpses of terrorists recovered near the scene. Recovery items include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), two PKT machine guns, five AK-47 rifles, several belts of assorted ammunition, and various personal effects.
Military sources confirmed that wounded soldiers are in stable condition and receiving appropriate medical care. Exploitation operations are ongoing to consolidate gains and track fleeing terrorists.
The Military High Command has praised the troops for their “impressive gallantry and resilience,” urging them to sustain the operational tempo.
“This latest failed attack reinforces the unrelenting operational dominance of OPHK and the futility of terrorist aggression against well-fortified and battle-ready troops across the Theatre,” Uba added.
Authorities have not released an official death toll for the terrorists, but the scale of the debris and recovered weaponry suggests scores were neutralised. No civilian casualties have been reported.
