ABUJA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 suspected terrorists were killed and some others escaped with wounds after Nigerian troops raided a camp operated by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the northeastern state of Adamawa, the military said Friday.
Mohammed Goni, spokesperson for the military-led joint task force in the northeast region, said the operation targeted the terrorists' camp in the Kopre Mountain general area of Hong Local Government Area in Adamawa, following credible intelligence that they were regrouping there on Thursday.
Goni said the troops conducted a stealth insertion into the difficult and rugged terrain before launching a precision assault on the camp, engaging the terrorists in two separate encounters during the operation. The troops subsequently took control of the area and destroyed the camp and associated logistics infrastructure abandoned by the fleeing terrorists.
According to him, the operation was part of sustained efforts to locate and rescue victims of abduction, some of whom had been held hostage by the terrorists since June.
Boko Haram and ISWAP have been collaborating in an attempt to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria. They have also extended their attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin. ■