By ZAGAZOLA MAKAMA

Troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), early Saturday repelled a large-scale attack by ISWAP/Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok, Borno State, while the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) neutralised scores of the fleeing fighters during a follow-up air interdiction.

Zagazola gathered that the terrorists, numbering over 300, launched a coordinated multi-front assault on the community at about 3:00 a.m., attempting to breach defensive locations and overwhelm deployed troops.

A security source told Zagazola that the soldiers immediately responded with superior firepower and well-coordinated manoeuvres, engaging the attackers in a two-hour gun battle that forced them to retreat 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.

Following the terrorists’ withdrawal, ground forces requested air support, prompting the immediate deployment of NAF combat aircraft to the identified withdrawal axis.

“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.

According to the sources, four major airstrikes were conducted by NAF combat aircraft along the terrorists’ withdrawal route toward the Timbuktu Triangle. The airstrikes were guided by real-time intelligence from ground troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK).

The sources said that the first wave of strikes targeted a cluster of fleeing terrorists attempting to regroup, “achieving significant degradation of the hostile elements.” Subsequent strikes pursued additional pockets of fighters dispersing into forested terrain.

In addition to the four strikes executed by manned aircraft, the sources confirms that another set of attacks was carried out by an unmanned aerial platform.

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

The sources emphasised that the combination of air and ground coordination ensured that the terrorists suffered “substantial losses,” preventing any possibility of reorganisation after the failed offensive. (Zagazola)