By Augustine Ehikioya
The Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has tasked troops fighting terrorism in the country to up their games in order to defeat terrorists.
He was speaking on the success recorded by troops of Operation HADIN KAI that eliminated six Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.
General Yahaya, in a press statement on Thursday signed by Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, and made available to Security Watch Africa (SWA), commended the troops for their operational exploits and urged them “to maintain the aggressive posture in order to decisively root out the terrorists from their enclaves”.
The Joint Task Force, North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), which had troops of 25 Brigade operating under it, had neutralised 4 terrorists of the ISWAP on Wednesday 1st of September, 2021.
The statement said “The terrorists who were on espionage along Damboa-Bulabulin- Maiduguri road ran into a fighting patrol team at Kukawa and were neutralised in the fire fight that ensued with the troops.
“On further exploitation after the encounter, the gallant troops recovered from the terrorists, four AK 47 rifles and four Magazines, each loaded with 30 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition”.
It added “In a separate operation, troops of 195 Battalion, Sector 1 OPHK in conjunction with elements of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) at Dusman-Muna Garage, Borno State have eliminated two ISWAP terrorists in an ambush operation conducted along an identified ISWAP terrorists’ crossing point at Musari village.
“The troops also captured and destroyed an ISWAP logistics vehicle conveying assorted goods and contraband items belonging to members of the terrorist group”.
The items recovered by troops from the terrorists’ vehicle, according to the statement, are “two bags of Hemp (Cannabis Sativa), 2 bags of Detergent, 120 packets of mosquito coils, 12 mosquito nets and five textile materials.
“Other items recovered are two bicycles, two bags of beans, a bag of corn and some quantity of fish”, it stated.