Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have killed an Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) cameraman and recovered video footage allegedly revealing the involvement of three foreign terrorist facilitators, including a Palestinian identified as a trainer and a Moroccan serving as a medical doctor for the insurgent group in Borno State.
Acting Military Information Officer of Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Muhammed Goni disclosed the development in a statement on Sunday.
He said the operation followed an attempted overnight infiltration by ISWAP fighters into Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area on Saturday.
The troops reportedly detected the insurgents as they tried to take advantage of the darkness to overrun the military position and cart away cholera medical supplies. Soldiers responded with heavy firepower, forcing the attackers to retreat after suffering significant casualties.
During the operation, troops recovered a Sony camcorder from the slain ISWAP cameraman. Preliminary forensic analysis of its contents reportedly showed that the failed attack was coordinated by four senior ISWAP commanders alongside three foreign operatives.
The military identified the foreign nationals as Abu Ishaq, a Palestinian Arab believed to be ISWAP’s chief trainer, Abu Thaiba, a Moroccan Arab serving as a medical doctor within the group, and another unidentified Arab operative.
The Army said the discovery further supports intelligence suggesting that ISWAP continues to receive foreign support, technical expertise and transnational terrorist backing.
The military also said satellite imagery and human intelligence confirmed that the terrorists evacuated the bodies of several fighters killed during the encounter, while many others sustained gunshot wounds.
Two soldiers were injured during the exchange of fire and were airlifted for advanced medical treatment. The Army said both personnel are in stable condition.
Operation Hadin Kai described the failed raid as another major setback for ISWAP, stressing that sustained military offensives have continued to weaken the group’s operational capability and restrict its ability to carry out coordinated attacks across the North-East.
