Nigerian Troops Neutralise Insurgents In Different Encounters In Northeast – DHQ

Troops of Operation Fire Ball, a subsidiary of Operation Lafiya Dole, have successfully neutralised Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the Northeast, the Defence Headquarters said on Saturday.

In a statement, Brig-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, the Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, said the military acted following incredible intelligence on December 8, on the movement of ISWAP logistics across the axis of Sambisa Forest.

He said Nigerian troops organised a well coordinated ambush that led to the neutralisation of the terrorists in a brief but decisive encounter.

Onyruko said that during the operation, four Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists were neutralised while two bicycles, two pushcarts, several bags of dry catfish, grains and large quantities of other food items were captured from them.

He said that on the same day, troops of 151 Battalion killed three Boko Haram insurgents along Firgi-Pulka Road and injured many others.

“Earlier, on 7 December, troops of 112 Task Force Battalion deployed in Mafa in conjunction with elements of Borno State Civilian Joint Task Force conducted a robust fighting patrol to a suspected Boko Haram criminals’ harbour area in Mogoniri village.

“The highly motivated troops made contact and immediately engaged the criminals with high volume of fire, forcing the terrorists to scamper and fly in disarray.

“In the aftermath of the encounter, one Boko Haram criminal was neutralised while one AK-47 Rifle and nine rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition were captured from the fleeing criminals,” Onyeuko said.

He also said that on December 7, the troops of 21 Special Armoured Brigade conducted an aggressive patrol at the general area of Gonori Village towards the fringes of Sambisa.

He said troops had an encounter with the terrorists,  killed one of them and injured many, who escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.

Onyeuko commended the gallant troops of Operation Lafiya Dole for their commitment and dedication towards flushing out the terrorists from their hideouts.

He assured the people of the Northeast that the terrorists would be given a final blow in their hideouts and urged them to help the military with information that could lead to the success of the operation.