October 10, (THEWILL) — Troops of the Nigerian Army have repelled a major attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in Ngamdu, Borno State, killing 15 insurgents in a fierce gun duel.
Military authorities confirmed that four soldiers were killed, while five others sustained injuries during the encounter.
In a statement on Friday, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, said the attack occurred in the early hours of the day when terrorists attempted to overrun a military base in the area.
Uba said the insurgents launched the assault using gun trucks, rocket-propelled grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), but were met with stiff resistance from troops who engaged them in hours of intense fighting.
He added that military engineers later cleared three IEDs planted along the Ngamdu–Damaturu road, which was temporarily closed to traffic during the operation.
“The terrorists attempted to prevent reinforcements and inflict further casualties by planting multiple IEDs along the Ngamdu–Damaturu Main Supply Route (MSR).
“This necessitated a temporary closure of the MSR, as engineers swiftly responded to clear three IED-laden spots. Following successful clearance, the route has now been reopened to both military and civilian movement,” the statement read.
Security sources described the clash as one of several recent attempts by ISWAP to disrupt military positions in Borno, which remains the epicentre of insurgent activities in the North-East.
The army said normalcy has since returned to the area, while a search operation is ongoing to track fleeing terrorists.
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