Troops respond with heavy firepower as over 300 ISWAP terrorists launch coordinated attack in Chibok

Troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade under Sector 4 of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) on Saturday foiled a major offensive by ISWAP/Boko Haram fighters in Chibok, Borno State, with support from Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jets that struck retreating gunmen during subsequent interdiction missions.

According to information obtained, more than 300 insurgents launched a coordinated pre-dawn attack around 3 a.m., advancing from multiple directions in an attempt to break through defensive positions and overrun the military deployment in the area.

A security source told counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama that troops responded immediately, delivering superior firepower and executing coordinated manoeuvres in a fierce two-hour exchange that pushed the attackers back toward the Timbuktu Triangle.

“The troops were alert and professionally contained the attack. There was no casualty on our side, and no equipment was affected,” the source said.

Once the terrorists began to pull back, ground forces called for air support, prompting NAF combat aircraft to strike the routes used by the fleeing fighters.

“The NAF jet delivered precise and devastating strikes along the terrorists’ escape route, obliterating a significant number of the fighters and disrupting their movement,” the source added.

Sources confirmed that four major airstrikes were carried out along the withdrawal corridor toward the Timbuktu Triangle, guided by real-time intelligence relayed from troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade.

The first round of strikes hit a group of fighters attempting to regroup, “achieving significant degradation of the hostile elements,” the sources said. Additional air raids targeted other clusters of militants dispersing into the surrounding forest.

Beyond the manned aircraft missions, the sources confirmed that an unmanned aerial platform also carried out strikes.

“The platform maintained continuous ISR coverage and engaged with high precision. Its strikes further eliminated retreating fighters and disrupted their movement pattern,” the sources noted.

They added that the combined actions of ground forces and air power inflicted “substantial losses” on the terrorists, preventing them from reorganising after the failed attack.

(Zagazola Makama)