22 soldiers dead as troops kill 3 terrorist commanders, 67 others in Borno

The troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised 70 terrorists, including three of their commanders, in a clearance operation at a terrorist enclave known as Timbuktu Triangle in Borno State.

The Director of the Defence Headquarters Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, January 26, 2025.

Buba said the troops had launched a three-prong operation on January 16 aimed at dismantling the terrorists in the area.

Buba said the troops recorded several encounters with terrorists during the course of the clearance operations which resulted in the killing of over 70 of them, including three notable commanders.

He listed the terrorist commanders neutralised to include Talha, a Terrorist Special Forces Commander; Malam Umar, a Terrorist Operations Commander; and ⁠Abu Yazeed, a Terrorist Brigade Commander.

The defence spokesman stated: “Meanwhile during the operations, the terrorist deployed Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Person Bourne Improvised Explosive Devices (suicide bombers) as well as Vehicle Bourne Improvised Explosive Devices (suicide bombers in explosive vehicles) to ward off troops advance and attacks.

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“Troops already familiar with the terrorist tactics thwarted the several terrorist attempts, including shooting down the amateur drones used by the terrorists.”

Buba, however, announced that 22 soldiers died in the cause of the operations with several others wounded in action.

He added: “On this account, the media is enjoined to resist publishing names of troop casualties to allow the formal notification of their next of kin.

“On the whole, the operation is ongoing and the public will be updated on further developments in due course.”

The Star