Defence Headquarters Confirms Killing Of 22 Soldiers

By - LCR 27 January 2025 Comments (0) 2 Mins Read

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An encounter between operatives of the Nigerian Military and terrorists in Borno State has resulted in the death of 22 soldiers and over 70 insurgents.

This was confirmed in a statement on Sunday by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba.

The encounter between the insurgents and the military occurred in a notorious terrorist stronghold in Borno State known as the Timbuktu Triangle.

The operation, which was carried out by troops of Operation Hadin Kai, began on January 16, 2025, and has focused on dismantling terrorist enclaves in the region, according to the DHQ.

The statement by Buba confirmed the killing of three high-ranking commanders of the insurgents: the Terrorist Special Forces Commander, Talha; the Operations Commander, Mallam Umar; and the Brigade Commander, Abu Yazeed, during the encounter.

He said, “Troops of Operation HADIN KAI in the Northeast of the country conducted a clearance operation to a renowned terrorist stronghold and enclave known as the Timbuktu Triangle. The three-prong operation aimed at dismantling the terrorist presence within the triangle commenced on 16 Jan 25 till date.

“Troops recorded several encounters with terrorists during the course of the clearance operations, which resulted in over 70 terrorist combatants, including three notable terrorist commanders, neutralised. The terrorist commanders neutralised include and are not limited to the following: TALHA (Terrorist Special Forces Commander), Mallam UMAR (Terrorist Operations commander) and ⁠ABU YAZEED (Terrorist Brigade Commander).“

The DHQ spokesperson said the military successfully repelled various lethal tactics, including the use of Improvised Explosive Devices, suicide bombers, and drones deployed by the terrorists.

He also confirmed the loss of 22 soldiers in the process and pleaded with the media to exercise restraint in publishing their names pending when their families would be officially notified.

Buba said, “Meanwhile, during the operations, the terrorist deployed Improvised Explosive Devices, Person Bourne Improvised Explosive Devices (suicide bombers) as well as Vehicle Bourne Improvised Explosive Devices (suicide bombers in explosive vehicles) to ward off troops advance and attacks.

“Troops already familiar with the terrorist tactics thwarted several terrorist attempts, including shooting down the amateur drones used by the terrorist.”

“Overall, during the course of the operations, troops sadly recorded 22 killed in action casualties with several others wounded in action. On this account, the media is enjoined to resist publishing names of troop casualties to allow the formal notification of their next of kin.”