Troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, and the Nigerian Army have repelled a dawn attack by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, in Malam Fatori, a strategic border town on the fringes of Lake Chad.
The development was disclosed in a post by security analyst Zagazola Makama via his X handle.
According to security sources, the terrorists launched a coordinated assault on the Forward Operating Base, FOB, Kangar around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, using armed drones, mortar shelling, and rapid ground movement in an attempt to overrun the military base.
The troops, supported by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, reportedly held their ground, reorganised, and launched a counteroffensive that forced the insurgents to retreat after a fierce exchange of gunfire.
Reinforcements from the main battalion and ground attack aircraft from the Nigerien contingent of the MNJTF joined the operation, targeting the terrorists’ firing positions and neutralising several of them.
The joint effort successfully repelled the assault, with troops maintaining high morale and operational control in the area.
Security sources said the fleeing terrorists were seen escaping toward the waterways in the Tumbun region.
