By Odita Sunday
Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have foiled an attempted mass abduction by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and rescued 31 civilians along the Buratai-Kamuya Road in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, the operation was carried out at about 3:45 p.m. on July 31 after troops received real-time intelligence on the terrorists’ activities.
The statement said troops of the 135 Special Forces Battalion, Dutsen Kura, detected the insurgents through surveillance systems as they intercepted four civilian vehicles and abducted their occupants.
It explained that a Quick Response Force was immediately deployed to pursue the terrorists as they fled towards the Mangari-Dora general area.
”The troops made contact with the insurgents and engaged them with effective fire, compelling the terrorists to abandon the abducted civilians and the four civilian vehicles before fleeing into the surrounding bush in disarray,” Goni said.
He added that the fleeing terrorists also abandoned motorcycles, which were recovered by the troops during the operation.
According to the military, all 31 abducted civilians were rescued unharmed, while the four civilian vehicles were recovered intact.
Following the successful rescue, the troops dominated the area and carried out further exploitation operations to prevent the terrorists from regrouping, although no further contact was made with the fleeing insurgents.
The rescued civilians and the recovered vehicles were later escorted to Buratai, where the victims reclaimed their vehicles and safely continued their journeys.
The military said the operation “once again demonstrates the effectiveness of intelligence-driven operations in protecting civilians and frustrating terrorist activities.”
It reaffirmed that the Joint Task Force would sustain aggressive operations aimed at eliminating the remnants of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists while ensuring the security of communities and major highways across the North-East.
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