DHQ: Troops killed 38 insurgents, 70 bandits in two weeks

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says the troops of operation Hadin Kai killed no fewer than 38 Boko Haram members in two weeks.

Bernard Onyeuko, acting director, defence media operations, spoke while giving an update on the operations of the armed forces across the country between October 14 and 28.

Onyeuko said a total of 11 criminal elements including their informants and logistics suppliers were arrested, while five kidnapped civilians were rescued in the course of the operations.

He said the troops recovered 29 weapons, 166 rounds of ammunition as well as two gun trucks and 622 bags of fertiliser used for the production of IEDs.

He said some of the feats were recorded at Dar, Kumshe, Wulgo, Chabbol and Kijmatari villages in Borno state, and locations along Ngala–Wulgo and Nguru–Kano roads. Other locations are Dikwa and Mafa villages and Ngama village in Yobe state.

Onyeuko said a total of 1,199 terrorists and their families, comprising 114 adult males, 312 adult females and 773 children, surrendered to troops at different locations in the north-east.

He said the air component, on October 20, scored another “devastating hit” on Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents at Malam Fatori, on the fringes of Lake Chad, killing scores of them.

He said the operation was based on credible intelligence report on the convergence of insurgents at the location.

“Consequently, airstrikes were executed on the target with various NAF platforms, which led to the destruction of the boats and neutralisation of scores of the terrorists, while few of them flee in disarray with varying degrees of wounds,” he said.

“Similarly, on Oct. 21, the air component engaged the terrorists in successive airstrikes and neutralised scores in Yobe.”

He also said at least 70 bandits were killed in various theatres of operation across the north-west and north-central zones within the same period.