Nigerian army has said that two vehicles belonging to the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), were burnt during exchange of gun fire with ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists who attempted to attack Damboa town in Borno state.

The army said troops of 25 Task Force Brigade, Operation HADIN KAI inthe North East aborted a dawn attack attempted on Damboa town in the early hours of Sunday, by Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists.

“The criminals made afutile effort to infiltratethe town of Damboa, but were met with heavy volume of fire from the vigilant troops.

“While attempting to infiltrate the town with unconfirmed numbers of foot soldiers and some mounted on motorcycles, the terrorists suffered debilitating gunshot wounds from troops' fire, forcing them to beat the retreat in disarray. The troops are currently on the trail of the fleeing terrorists.

“Unfortunately, in the exchange of fire that ensued, two vehicles belonging to the Civilian Joint Task Force were razed by fire.

“The troops of Operation HADIN KAI have been commended for their vigilance and swift response in quelling the attack. They are also encouraged not to allow any form of distraction from the marauding terrorists, whose ranks have suffered enormous depletion in manpower as a result of ongoing air and artillery bombardments”.

Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General, Onyema Nwachukwu, while making this disclosure in a press statement assured law abiding people of North East Nigeria of the Chief of Army Staff's determination to finally rout the Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province criminals from their hideouts.

He urged the people of the North East to continue to avail the troops with actionable information that will enhance the execution of the ongoing Counter Terrorism Counter Insurgency operations in the region.