One soldier sustained a gunshot injury as Nigerian troops repelled an attempted attack by Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, terrorists on a military base in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The soldier, whose identity was not disclosed, sustained the injury to his left arm and is currently receiving treatment, according to a statement by Mohammed Goni, spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, the military joint task force operating in the North-East.
Goni, a Nigerian Army captain, said the terrorists attempted to overrun the military base on Monday but were resisted by ground troops, including members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF.
He said the ground troops were supported by the air component of Operation Hadin Kai, which provided Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, ISR, during the attack. According to him, the coordinated response forced the terrorists to retreat with casualties.
“As the terrorists attempted to escape following the fierce resistance from ground troops, the air component conducted precision strikes on identified hostile elements, disrupting their withdrawal and further frustrating their efforts to regroup,” Goni said.
The military spokesperson added that military positions across Pulka remained firmly under the control of security forces.
He commended members of the CJTF, who he said played an important supporting role by providing useful local information and assisting troops in maintaining situational awareness.
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Goni said troops subsequently conducted an operation to assess the extent of battle damage, recover abandoned weapons and gather intelligence that could assist in tracking the fleeing terrorists.
He described the coordinated response as a demonstration of the effectiveness of joint efforts in confronting terrorist threats across the theatre.
“Troops remain firmly deployed and on heightened alert across the area, with aggressive patrols, surveillance and other offensive and defensive operations continuing to deny terrorist elements freedom of movement and action,” he said.
“The military will sustain pressure on the terrorists while taking necessary measures to safeguard the lives and property of law-abiding citizens.”
Goni also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and provide credible information to troops. ISWAP, a faction that broke away from Boko Haram, has intensified attacks on military positions in the North-East in recent years.
However, joint operations involving Nigerian and United States forces have weakened the group’s capacity to launch attacks as frequently as it previously did.
Despite the group’s reduced capacity, the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, has warned that ISWAP could carry out retaliatory attacks following the killing of one of its top commanders, Abubakar Mainok, and other fighters.
Mainok was killed alongside other fighters by Nigerian and US troops following what the Presidency described as months-long tracking operations in Abuja and the Lake Chad region.
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