During a clearance operation on Lake Chad Island on Friday, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) killed 42 members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while several others fled with gunshot wound.
MNJTF’s Chief of Military Public Information, Timothy Antigha, who confirmed this in a statement on Saturday, said it was the biggest loss the terrorists have suffered in the past six months.
The soldiers efficiently suppressed ISWAP and carried out the clearance procedure successfully, according to Mr. Antigha, a colonel.
“Unfortunately, the MNJTF lost a soldier while 10 others were wounded in action,” he said.
He said the terrorists also lost equipment as two of their gun trucks, and three motorcycles were demolished, while soldiers retrieved from them two light machine guns and two AK 47 riffles.
Mr Antigha said previously this week that ISWAP also encountered a comparable scenario when they tried to attack MNJTF soldiers in Sector 1 Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Ngouma, Cameroon.
In that engagement, he said, ISWAP lost five terrorists while one was caught.
The MNJTF spokesman also said that 13 AK 47 riffles and 2 hand grenades were recovered from the encounter.
Similarly, he said the MNJTF also carried out air raids in Arege and Malkorony where several terrorists were killed as the headquarters and logistics base of a top ISWAP commander, Abu Talib, was targeted in the operation.
