By Ayo Kehinde
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have foiled multiple kidnap attempts, rescued 11 abducted victims and neutralised 16 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists during coordinated counter-offensive operations across parts of Borno State.
The successful operations were confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Media Information Officer of OPHK, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba.
According to him, the military gains followed a failed midnight attack by ISWAP fighters on the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Auno on February 5. The attack was decisively repelled by troops of Sector 1, who deployed superior firepower to force the terrorists into retreat.
Uba said troops, working in close synergy with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), launched a follow-up offensive on February 9 along the Komala axis in Konduga Local Government Area.
“The gallant troops pursued the fleeing terrorists up to the Gidan Kaji axis, where 16 ISWAP elements were neutralised, while several others escaped with gunshot wounds”, he stated.
Uba also disclosed that items recovered during the operation included more than 20 bicycles, assorted weapons and a large cache of logistics supplies believed to be vital to the terrorists’ operations.
In a related development, troops arrested suspected ISWAP logistics suppliers around the Bukarti axis while they were transporting large quantities of drugs intended for terrorist elements.
The military also foiled a kidnap attempt along the Buratai–Kamuya road after responding swiftly to suspicious movements in the area. Two victims, identified as Mallam Idris Adamu and Mallam Muhammadu Safiyanu, were rescued and later reunited with their families in Buratai.
Similarly, Uba revealed that troops, acting on a distress call along the Chibok–Damboa axis on the same day, rescued nine additional kidnapped victims.
He said the series of successful operations underscore the unwavering commitment of Operation HADIN KAI to dismantling terrorist networks, disrupting their logistics supply chains and ensuring the protection of civilians across the North East.
