Regional forces kill 100 terrorists along Nigeria’s borders: Official

By Olanrewaju Kola

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Troops from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad have killed over 100 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists during special operations along Nigeria's borders, a military official said Sunday.

Colonel Muhammad Dole, the spokesman for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), in a statement said a joint military operation was conducted in the past week under Operation Lake Sanity on the terrorists' camps in the Lake Chad region.

"Well over a hundred terrorists have been neutralized, including over 10 top commanders, following intelligence-driven lethal air strikes in the Lake Chad islands," he said, disclosing the names of some of the ISWAP commanders killed in the offensive.

He said 18 soldiers and officers were wounded when the terrorists attempted to attack the troops with explosives-laden vehicles during the operation.

Dole said troops seized some ammunition from the terrorists including 105 mm artillery shells as well as canoes and motorbikes.

He said their explosives-making factories and bunkers were also destroyed through air bombardment.

Nigeria shares borders with three other African nations -- Niger, Chad and Cameroon -- in the far northern region where Boko Haram and its splinter group, ISWAP, have been carrying out attacks for over a decade.