ISWAP terrorists flee as fighter jet appears during attack on Borno military base

 

Nigerian troops have repelled an attack by terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on a military base in Banki, Bama Local Government Area of Borno state.

The attempted assault was thwarted with the support of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), who deployed fighter jet to support troops battling the terrorists.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, which cited security sources, the insurgents launched the attack in the early hours of Friday, advancing in large numbers in what appeared to be an attempt to overrun the military formation.

“The sources said the troops immediately engaged the terrorists in a fierce gun battle, effectively resisting the assault and preventing the insurgents from breaching the base.

“According to the sources, while the exchange of fire was ongoing, the Nigerian Air Force scrambled an aircraft to provide aerial support to the ground troops,” the publication reported.

Sources told Makama that on sighting the aircraft, “the terrorists took to their heels and were seen scampering in disarray into nearby bushes to escape the superior firepower of the troops and the air component”.

Makama reported that the attempted attack was successfully foiled, forcing the insurgents to abandon the operation.

In recent weeks, terrorist attacks have intensified in parts of the region, with military bases frequently targeted and some personnel killed.

On Monday, ISWAP fighters killed a commanding officer of the Nigerian Army during another attack on a military facility in Kukawa LGA of Borno state.

The following day, troops repelled another early-morning attack by suspected ISWAP fighters on a military base in the same area.