Nigerian military forces successfully repelled an attempted infiltration by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists into Monguno town and the Bitta community in the Lake Chad region during midnight operations, neutralizing scores of insurgents, including a senior commander.
The Senior Qaid Commander, identified as Ibn Khalid, along with the group’s cameraman, was killed in a fierce gun battle in Bitta around 2:30 a.m. Nigerian Army troops engaged the terrorists while repelling their attack.
According to Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Commander of the Northeast Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, seventeen additional terrorists were killed across multiple locations in the Sambisa forest area, spanning Madagali Local Government Area in Adamawa and Kaga in Borno State.
An unspecified number of insurgents escaped with varying injuries. Troops tracking the retreating terrorists found blood traces along their withdrawal routes.
Recovered from the terrorists were weapons and equipment, including two AK-47 magazines, 7.26mm special ammunition, a PKT belt, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), and a camcorder.
Monguno, the headquarters of Northern Borno at the edge of the Lake Chad region, also serves as the base for Sector 3 operations of Hadin Kai and the Multinational Joint Task Force.
While civil authorities have been restored and residents have resumed normal activities in Monguno, many communities within the Lake Chad area remain deserted and await rebuilding and rehabilitation.
