Army arrests ISWAP fighter, neutralises top commander in Borno operation

At least one fighter of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has been captured alive, while a top commander identified as Abu Umar Bundi Munzir was neutralised alongside 24 other insurgents in Borno State.

The development followed a foiled coordinated attack on Kukareta community, as troops of Operation HADIN KAI successfully repelled the assault.

According to military sources, the insurgents launched the attack in a bid to overrun the community, but were met with strong resistance from security forces, leading to a fierce exchange.

Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Theartre Commander, North East Operation Hadin Kai, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Maiduguri on Thursday, while providing situational update on the failed attack by ISWAP terrorists

NAN report that the insurgents launched the attack in the early hours of Thursday, shortly after midnight, in an attempt to overrun the location but were decisively engaged by troops of Sector 2 in a sustained counter-offensive that lasted till about 3;00 a.m.

Abubakar said that during the encounter, the terrorists’ commander, Abu Umar Bundi Munzir, was reportedly among those neutralised as troops repelled the assault and forced the remaining attackers into a disorganised withdrawal.

The theartre commander also confirmed that a total of 24 other terrorists were killed in the operation, bringing the overall neutralised figure to 25.

”Troops subsequently conducted exploitation of the battlefield, leading to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition, including 18 AK-47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Guns, two PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns and three RPG tubes.

”Others include two mortar tubes, four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines, and large quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition,” he said.

According to him, two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter and have since been stabilised, while an armoured reinforcement vehicle had its tyres damaged during the firefight.

He added that further exploitation operations were ongoing to recover fleeing terrorists bodies, and abandoned equipment along withdrawal routes reportedly marked by blood trails and medical items.

The commander described the operation as a significant success in ongoing counter-insurgency efforts, noting that sustained pressure would be maintained to deny terrorist elements freedom of action in the North-East theatre.