The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya on Sunday led a team of top brass of the Nigerian Army in a condolence visit to the family of the late Commander 28 Task Force Brigade, Brig Gen Dzarma Zirkusu .
Nigerian Army mourns late Brigadier General Zirkusu who was killed in a battle last Saturday in Askira Uba LGA of Borno State , Nigeria, while defending the location against invading Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.
General Yahaya commiserated with families of the fallen heroes and prayed for the repose of his soul and other departed colleagues.
He urged the good people of the North East to continue to support the ongoing counter insurgency operations as he reaffirmed troops’ renewed operational readiness to aggressively confront the criminal elements.
A statement signed by the director army public relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu on Monday said troops of Joint Task Force, North East(NE) Operation HADIN KAI(OPHK) have neutralized over 50 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and destroyed several of their combat equipment in a fierce counter offensive in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State following the sad incident of November 13.
According to the army, “in the counter offensive, troops eliminated top commanders of ISWAP as well as foot soldiers. The gallant troops also unleashed massive destruction on the terrorists’ Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle and several Gun Trucks.
“It would be recalled, that 115 Task Force Battalion had an encounter with ISWAP terrorists in Askira Uba on 13 November 2021, during which the troops aggressively defended their location and followed up with a ferocious counter attack. Unfortunately, the Commander 28 Task Force Brigade along side three of his soldiers paid the supreme price, as they reinforced troops to defend the location.
“While the battle raged, the gallant troops of 25 Task Force Brigade, supported by Air Component of OPHK engaged the terrorists in a hot pursuit. Troops made contact with the fleeing terrorists at Leho village within Askira Uba LGA and in the encounter that ensued, troops eliminated scores of terrorists and destroyed their combat equipment.
“The equipment destroyed by troops include, an MRAP vehicle and 11 Gun Trucks. The troops also recovered large cache of arms and ammunition viz., Five Gun Trucks, two Anti Aircraft Guns, five AK 47 rifles, one HK Machine Gun and one HK Machine Gun links.
“Relatedly, troops of 115 Task Force Battalion conducted a dawn exploitation towards Leho village and environs, where they discovered 3 corpses of the fleeing terrorists and also recovered 2,560 rounds of 7.62mm Special and 29 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition abandoned by the terrorists.
“In a separate operation, troops have also recovered one AK 47 rifle and uncovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during a patrol in Karawa village and Baga Fish Dam area respectively. The IED has been safely detonated by a team of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit,” the statement added.