Troops of Sector 2, Operation HADIN KAI, have disrupted an attempted Boko Haram/ISWAP extortion mission in Yobe State, killing one suspected terrorist and recovering arms, ammunition and other logistics items.

The Acting Military Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the operation was carried out following credible intelligence that terrorists were moving in two Volkswagen Golf vehicles and several motorcycles to collect illegal levies from communities along the Paya Kafiya axis of Yobe State.

According to him, troops of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bukarti, in conjunction with the 27 Task Force Brigade, launched a fighting patrol on July 19 and engaged the insurgents in a fierce gun battle.

He said one of the vehicles was immobilised during the exchange of fire, while its driver was neutralised. Four other suspected terrorists reportedly fled into nearby bushes with gunshot wounds, abandoning the vehicle.

A follow-up operation conducted on July 20 along the Paya Kafiya–Garin Gada route led to the recovery of the abandoned vehicle, 25 rounds of belted PKT ammunition, one loaded AK-47 magazine, 15 empty PKT ammunition cases, assorted drugs, including paracetamol and nicotine products, as well as mechanical tools believed to have supported the terrorists’ logistics operations.

The military said the operation thwarted the terrorists’ plan to extort residents and disrupted a key source of funding for Boko Haram/ISWAP.

Operation HADIN KAI reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations in collaboration with other security agencies and local communities to dismantle terrorist networks and restore lasting peace across the North-East. Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.