Askira-Uba: Troops Kill 50 More ISWAP Fighters

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Nigerian Army Headquarters, yesterday, said troops had decimated 50 more fighters of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) after a fierce counter offensive in Uba Askira Local Government Area of Borno State.

The army, in a statement, said troops of Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) destroyed several of their combat equipment during the confrontation in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

The killing of the Commander, 28 Task Force Brigade, Chibok, Brigadier-General Dzarma Zirkushi and three soldiers in an ambush in Uba-Askira, last weekend, triggered an offensive by the military as rampaging troops killed 37 terrorists.

The military had deployed three fighter jets, one Alpha jet and two A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft and ground troops that engaged the insurgents in long-drawn fire-fight.

This comes as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, led a team of top brass of the Nigerian Army to pay a condolence visit to the family of the late Zirkusu, on Sunday, where he commiserated with families of the fallen heroes.

The army war update stated that, “In the counter offensive, troops eliminated top commanders of ISWAP as well as foot soldiers. The gallant troops also unleashed massive destruction on the terrorists’ Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle and 11 Gun Trucks”.

It said the equipment destroyed by troops included an MRAP vehicle and 11 Gun Trucks. The troops also recovered large cache of arms and ammunition, notably, five gun trucks, two anti aircraft guns, five AK 47 rifles, one HK Machine Gun and one HK Machine Gun links.

In a related development, troops of 115 Task Force Battalion conducted a dawn exploitation towards Leho village and the surrounding environment, where they discovered three corpses of the fleeing terrorists and also recovered 2,560 rounds of 7.62mm Special and 29 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition abandoned by the terrorists.

Also, in a separate operation, troops also recovered one AK 47 rifle and uncovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during a patrol in Karawa village and Baga Fish Dam area respectively. The IED has been safely detonated by a team of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit.

Meanwhile, Yahaya led a team of top brass of the Nigerian Army to pay a condolence visit to the family of the late Commander 28 Task Force Brigade, Brig Gen Dzarma Zirkusu on Sunday, November 14, 2021, where he commiserated with families of the fallen heroes.

The statement signed by Army Spokesman, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said Yahaya also urged the people of the North-east to continue to support the ongoing counter insurgency operations while reaffirming troops’ renewed operational readiness to aggressively confront the criminal elements.