Troops crush ISWAP raids in Borno, 11 killed

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have beaten back coordinated assaults by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province fighters on three military positions in Borno State, killing 11 insurgents.

The attacks targeted Forward Operating Bases in Mayanti, Gajigana and Gajiram between late 28 February and the early hours of 1 March.

In a statement on Sunday, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt Col Sanni Uba, said five militants were killed in Mayanti, three in Gajiram and two in Gajigana. An officer died during the Mayanti encounter, while a soldier was wounded in Gajiram and evacuated for treatment.

He said troops “decisively foiled coordinated ISWAP attacks” on the three locations, adding that the failed assaults reflected “the growing desperation of terrorist elements under sustained pressure on their enclaves, logistics corridors and leadership structures”.

According to him, soldiers recovered weapons and ammunition, including rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and an armed drone, while other offensive operations in the sector forced militants to abandon equipment and logistics supplies.

Uba added that all the bases remain under military control and that ongoing operations are aimed at further degrading the group’s fighting capacity.