Troops of the 19 Brigade, Sector 3 of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, have repelled an attempted infiltration by suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province into Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, uncovering the involvement of foreign nationals, including a Moroccan doctor and a Palestinian trainer.
The military said the failed operation was coordinated by four senior ISWAP commanders, known as Qai’ds, alongside three foreign terrorist facilitators.
Acting Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Capt. Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to him, troops detected the movement of the terrorists early and responded with overwhelming firepower, inflicting heavy casualties and forcing the insurgents to abandon the mission.
He said troops subsequently conducted exploitation operations during which they recovered a Sony camcorder belonging to a slain ISWAP cameraman, several rounds of PKT and 7.62mm Special ammunition, terrorist uniforms and other combat equipment.
Goni explained that preliminary analysis of video recordings recovered from the camcorder revealed that the operation involved four senior ISWAP commanders and three foreign nationals.
He identified the foreign operatives as a Palestinian, Abu Ishaq, believed to be the group’s chief trainer; a Moroccan identified as Abu Thaiba, said to be serving as a medical doctor within the terrorist network; and another Arab operative whose identity has yet to be established.
“The attackers include a Palestinian Arab identified as Abu Ishaq, assessed to be ISWAP’s overall trainer; a Moroccan Arab identified as Abu Thaiba, a medical doctor serving within the terrorist network; and another Arab operative whose identity is yet to be established,” Goni said.
He added that the presence of the foreign nationals reinforced intelligence indicating that ISWAP continues to benefit from external support, specialist expertise and transnational terrorist networks.
The military also said the terrorists’ apparent attempt to seize medical supplies supported recent intelligence reports suggesting a cholera outbreak in insurgent camps.
Goni disclosed that post-engagement satellite imagery showed terrorists evacuating the bodies of some of their slain fighters during their withdrawal.
He said the development was later confirmed by credible human intelligence sources, which indicated that many terrorists were killed while several others sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter.
According to him, two soldiers were injured in the firefight and were immediately airlifted for advanced medical treatment. He noted that both personnel were in stable condition.
“The failed infiltration attempt represents yet another significant operational setback for ISWAP and caps a costly weekend for the terrorist group following sustained offensive operations and intensified military pressure across the North-East theatre,” he said.
He added that the outcome demonstrated the increasing difficulty faced by the insurgents in carrying out coordinated attacks against highly alert troops while further degrading their operational capability and morale.
The spokesman reaffirmed that Operation HADIN KAI would sustain offensive operations aimed at dismantling terrorist networks, protecting vulnerable communities and restoring lasting peace across the North-East.
FOLLOW US
FOR MORE HERE
