Nigerian troops destroy ISWAP training facility

An Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) training camp near Mallam Fatori on the fringes of Lake Chad in the Northern part of Borno has been destroyed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), an official said on Friday.

Ibikunle Daramola, NAF’s spokesman in a press release said the training facility was destroyed by the Air Task Force (ATF) of the Operation Lafiya Dole.

The operation, according to Daramola, was executed based on credible intelligence reports and confirmatory Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

“The ATF therefore dispatched its aircraft to attack the location, which upon arrival over the target area observed significant activity of the terrorists,” Daramola said.

“The attack aircraft scored devastating hits on the building completely destroying it and neutralizing the ISWAP occupants.

“The few other fighters seen fleeing the location were mopped-up by follow-on attacks,” he added.

Daramola, however, did not state how many ISWAP terrorists that were killed in the attack.

This is coming days after the ISWAP caused severe havoc on the Nigerian troops in different military camps.

On Wednesday, international newswire, AFP, reported that several Nigerian soldiers were killed in an ambush on a military convoy near Gudumbali in the Lake Chad area of Borno state. ISWAP also claimed its fighters carried out two attacks in the area.

The terror group opened fire with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades on the convoy as it travelled to Gudumbali on Monday, September 9, the security sources told AFP.

One told AFP that “the terrorists surprised troops with an ambush as they were heading to Gudumbali.”

“We lost several soldiers, vehicles and weapons to the terrorists in the attack,” said the source, who asked not to be identified.

A third security source told AFP, “It is not precisely clear the number of casualties recorded in the attack but a number paid the supreme price.”

Reuters reported three soldiers and an official from a security agency as saying on Wednesday that nine soldiers were killed and 27 were missing after a Tuesday attack in Gudumbali.

Late Wednesday, a military officer who requested anonymity told AFP: “So far, nine bodies of soldiers were recovered. Twenty-seven soldiers are still missing and their fate remains unknown.”

Another military source confirmed the provisional death toll, adding that “search and rescue is ongoing.”