Abuja, Aug 16 — Scores of suspected terrorists were killed in a gunfight with Nigerian troops while they were thwarting a multi-pronged attack on a military base in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, an official said Sunday.
Mohammed Goni, spokesperson for the military-led Joint Task Force in the northeast region, said in a statement that suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists launched simultaneous attacks from two fronts on a Forward Operating Base in Mandaragirau, Biu Local Government Area, at about 2 a.m. (local time) on Saturday, but were repelled by troops.
The troops detected the advancing terrorists through early-warning and surveillance systems and deployed a combat team to intercept them along one of the approaches, successfully repelling the attackers, the spokesman said, Xinhua News Agency reported.
"The second group attempted to bypass the troops and infiltrate the base but was equally met with superior firepower," he said, adding that the coordinated response forced the terrorists to withdraw in disarray. The troops then launched a pursuit along the attackers' withdrawal routes.
The troops recovered a substantial quantity of weapons and other combat equipment, including a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher, RPG bombs and chargers, and a camcorder.
Goni added that surveillance footage later showed fleeing terrorists dragging the bodies of many of their colleagues killed in the encounter toward an area known as the Timbuktu Triangle.
The Nigerian military has vowed to sustain operations against terrorist groups to further degrade their operational capabilities and weaken their ability to coordinate attacks.
ISWAP has been collaborating with its sister group, Boko Haram, in an attempt to establish an Islamist state in northeast Nigeria. The terror groups have also extended their attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin.
Last week, about nine suspected terrorists, including a key commander, were killed and several others wounded after a Nigerian military airstrike targeted a camp of ISWAP in Borno.
In a statement, Nigerian Air Force spokesman Ehimen Ejodame said the operation was carried out in the Sambisa Forest area following credible intelligence about terrorist movements. The area is known to host one of the largest terrorist camps in Nigeria, he said.
"Following identification and confirmation of the target, the Nigerian Air Force aircraft conducted a precision engagement on the location," the statement said.