Smoke out remnants of Boko Haram/ISWAP – Irabor tells troops

To put an end to the conflict in the Northeast, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has given the Joint Task Force’s Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) troops the mission of clearing out any remaining Boko Haram militants.

On Thursday in Maiduguri, Irabor made the order while speaking to the troops at the Theatre Command, Maimalari Cantonment.

The Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) has been decisively defeated in Mafa village’s Ajiri Local Government Area of Borno State by Nigerian forces stationed there.

Irabor said, “You must ensure that the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists are smoked out from their hideouts,” stating that there are remnants of criminals in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad region.

While assessing troops in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations, he said: “Huge progress is being made in our joint military operations to restore peace in the insurgency affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.”

He, therefore, noted that with the troops’ resilience and commitments in the counter-insurgency operations the war could end to restore peace in the region.

In another development, troops deployed in Mafa have successfully repelled  attacks by the Islamic State of the West African Province(ISWAP), in Ajiri village of Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.

It was gathered that the failed  attack was coordinated by one Abou  Mubammed in response to the killing of 41 fighters and a Commander after the troops of Operation Hadin Kai stormed their enclaves in Mukdolo and Bone on March 26th 2023.

Zagazola Makama, counter insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, had reported that in their meetings at Kajeri Dogumba, Bula Yagana Aliye in Mafa, ISWAP fighters vowed to revenge the mass killing of their members.

Sources said, the terrorists were said to have stormed the town on Wednesday night, March 29th  2023 and attempted an attack on the military base which resulted to a heavy gun battle with the troops.

The Source added that the forces later engaged the terrorists in a gun duel, outgunned them, and repulsed the attack while seriously killing the outmatched attackers.

The militants then set up another ambush against a party of reinforced troops sent from Mafa.

Thankfully, the forces foiled the ambush, sending the terrorists running in confusion.