Gallant troops of the newly formed Nigerian Army Special Forces Command (NASFC), Operation LAFIYA DOLE, “have given the terrorists that attacked troops location in Baga a bloody nose,” the Nigerian Army said on Thursday.

“The triumphant troops, particularly the highly revered 707 Special Forces Brigade which is the vanguard of the great exploit, dealt the decisive blow that neutralised several terrorists along that axis despite prior warning to them by some unpatriotic elements.

“The Special Forces commenced clearance operations on 28th December 2018, where they cleared Zare, Gudumbali, Kukawa and Cross Kauwa without any resistance from suspected terrorists. However, at Cross Kauwa, the unfortunate ISWAP terrorists made a costly mistake of raising their ugly heads. In professional fashion the troops exploited the situation to instantly and decisively neutralise the insurgents and captured some equipment,” Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, said in a statement.

ISWAP is an offshoot of Boko Haram terrorists and stands for Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

According to Usman, “Though some of the terrorists attempted to infiltrate troops’ camp at Monguno, the gallant troops lured them and neutralised many of them and recovered some arms and ammunition.

“The troops who are in high spirit had since linked up with other forces in Baga where they cleared the Naval Base and the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, in the process, the Special Forces lost one officer and a soldier, while 5 other soldiers sustained injuries. The remains of the two fallen heroes and the wounded have since been evacuated. The injured soldiers are in stable condition and receiving medical attention. The troops are now busy consolidating and clearing vestiges of the terrorists within the northern Borno State axis with special emphasis on the Lake Chad region.

“The Special Forces attained these great strides in close operational synergy with Air Task Force of the Nigerian Air Force who gave Intelligence and close air support by bombarding the ISWAP terrorists. The outstanding and dare devil exploits of the NAF's pilots gave more courage and fire power to the troops. Similarly, the Nigerian Navy Special Forces were not left out of these gallant efforts.”