By SUMAILA OGBAJE

Troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), on Monday repelled a coordinated terrorist attack along the Maiduguri–Damboa Main Supply Route (MSR) in Borno.

A credible military source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the attack occurred at about 3:10 pm on Dec. 22.

He said troops of 25 Brigade, while conducting MSR dominance patrol and escorting civilians along the Maiduguri–Damboa axis in Damboa Local Government Area, came under attack by ISWAP/JAS terrorists.

The source revealed that the terrorists reportedly employed multiple armed drones, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and an ambush in an attempt to disrupt military movement and civilian traffic along the route.

According to him, reinforcements from Brigade Headquarters were immediately mobilised to the location, enabling troops to counter the attack and stabilise the situation.

He said the troops had dominated the area and denied the terrorists freedom of action.

The source added that troops had sustained offensive operations across other sectors of OPHK under Operation Desert Sanity IV.

In the North Central, he said the troops under Operation Enduring Peace and Operation FANSAN YAMMA, had continued to record successes against kidnapping and criminal activities in Kaduna and Plateau States.

The source said the troops of Sector 5 in Kaduna State, working with local vigilantes, apprehended two suspected kidnappers during an intelligence-led operation at Pari and Rahama villages in Kauru Local Government Area.

In Plateau, he said the troops of Sector 2 OPEP responded to a kidnapping incident in Panyam town, Mangu Local Government Area, where one person was abducted and another killed by suspected kidnappers, adding that efforts to rescue the abducted victim were ongoing.

“However, troops recorded a major breakthrough in Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau, where swift military response forced kidnappers to abandon a Reverend and his three children abducted from a Church premises at Makundang village.

“The victims were successfully rescued, debriefed and reunited with their family, while troops continue the search for the fleeing kidnappers in surrounding mountainous areas,” he said.

The source reaffirmed the commitment of the military to sustaining pressure on terrorists and criminal elements across all theatres to ensure the safety of lives and property nationwide. (NAN)

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