Military Confirms Death of 22 Soldiers in North-East Operation 

The Nigerian military has confirmed the loss of 22 soldiers during an operation in the North-East, as the fight against insurgency intensifies in the region.

Nigerian military officials have confirmed that 22 soldiers lost their lives during an operation in the country’s North-East region.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) reported that the incident occurred during a clearance operation in Timbuktu Triangle, a well-known terrorist stronghold and enclave.

“Tragically, throughout the operations, troops suffered 22 casualties killed in action and several others wounded,” stated Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, on Sunday.

He stated that the three-pronged operation, designed to dismantle the terrorist presence using a triangular approach, commenced on January 16th and continues to this day.

However, Buba reported that the troops killed over 70 terrorists, including several of their commanders, during the operations.

“During the clearance operations, troops reported multiple encounters with terrorists, leading to over 70 terrorist combatants being neutralized, including three prominent commanders. Among those neutralized were TALHA (Special Forces Commander), Mallam UMAR (Operations Commander), and ABU YAZEED (Brigade Commander),” he stated.

The DHQ stated that the achievement was accomplished despite the terrorists using various tactics to deter troop advancements and attacks, including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), suicide bombers with Person-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices, and explosive-laden vehicles driven by suicide bombers.

“The DHQ reported that troops, already acquainted with the terrorist tactics, successfully foiled several attempts by terrorists. This included neutralizing amateur drones employed by them.”

In July, seven soldiers lost their lives when their vehicle struck a landmine in a village where the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is active.

The conflict, now in its fifteenth year, has resulted in 40,000 deaths and forced approximately two million people from their homes in the northeast.

The violence spread to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional force to combat the militants.