Nigerian Army troops under Operation HADIN KAI, in joint action with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), have eliminated more than 35 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists during a major operation in Kumshe, a border town in Borno State.
According to Zagazola Makama, the operation was launched after ISWAP fighters attempted a pre-dawn assault on military positions in Kumshe on Saturday. According to field reports, the insurgents, who advanced from the Gulumba Gana axis, met fierce resistance from troops, forcing them to retreat with heavy losses.
Findings revealed that the terrorists managed to evacuate between eight and ten of their wounded fighters to Zangeri camp near Gulumba Gana, while five bodies were hurriedly buried by their comrades. Several other corpses were left behind due to the intensity of the battle.
The military also recorded casualties, with one soldier killed and two others wounded in the fire exchange.
To reinforce the ground operation, NAF deployed aircraft for precision strikes against clusters of ISWAP fighters along the Nigeria–Cameroon border. The successive air interdictions decimated terrorist formations and disrupted their plans for further reinforcement.