Troops Foil Coordinated Terrorist Attack in Mallam Fatori, Neutralise Over 80 Insurgents

Troops of the Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI in the early hours of Wednesday successfully repelled a coordinated multi directional terrorist attack on their positions in Mallam Fatori, Sector 3.

The insurgents advanced in large numbers on foot and deployed armed drones in an attempt to breach the defences at the 68 Battalion location, particularly around the Bravo Company axis from the Duguri area. However, they were met with strong and decisive resistance from troops.

In a statement issued by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, troops had anticipated the attack and adopted a well coordinated offensive defensive strategy that effectively neutralised the threat.

Through disciplined firepower, coordinated manoeuvres and superior tactical execution, the attackers were overwhelmed and forced into retreat, with over 80 terrorists neutralised during the engagement.

The operation was further reinforced by precision close air support from the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI, alongside strike missions carried out by allied Nigerien air assets, which intensified pressure on the fleeing insurgents.

Exploitation of the battlefield led to the recovery of a large cache of arms and equipment, including 52 AK 47 rifles, eight PKT machine guns, seven RPG tubes, five General Purpose Machine Guns, over 3000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 21 RPG bombs, nine improvised explosive devices, as well as communication radios and components of armed drones.

Despite the scale of the attack, troop casualties were minimal, with four soldiers wounded in action and currently receiving treatment, while battle damage assessment of the air operations is ongoing.

Among those neutralised were three senior terrorist commanders identified as Mallam Abdulrahman Gobara, Mallam Ba Yuram and Abou Ayyuba. Several other fighters were also eliminated during the encounter, further weakening the insurgents operational capacity.

The statement described the outcome as a major setback for terrorist elements in the region, noting that the elimination of key commanders has disrupted their command structure and degraded their fighting capability.

Operation HADIN KAI reaffirmed that troops remain firmly in control of all locations within the theatre, maintaining dominance through sustained operations, effective collaboration and high morale.

The military urged members of the public to remain vigilant and disregard unverified reports aimed at undermining ongoing security efforts, assuring that the situation in Mallam Fatori and its environs remains under control.