Troops kill top Boko Haram/ISWAP leader Abu Khalid in Sambisa Forest

Troops attached to the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have eliminated a high-ranking Boko Haram/ISWAP commander, Abu Khalid, during a coordinated night assault in Borno State.

Abu Khalid, described as the deputy leader of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest, was neutralised alongside 10 other insurgents in the operation.

Confirming the development in a statement on Sunday, the Theatre Command Media Information Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sani Uba, said the encounter followed sustained military pressure on terrorist elements across the region.

“Barely 24 hours after troops eliminated the notorious Boko Haram/ISWAP commander, Julaibib, operating within the Gujba axis of the Timbuktu Triangle, troops of Sector 1, in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) on Operation Desert Sanity, made contact with terrorists at the Komala general area of Konduga Local Government Area during night offensives at about 11:00 p.m.,” Uba said.

“Abu Khalid was a key figure within the terrorist hierarchy, coordinating operations and logistics in the Sambisa axis.”

Uba disclosed that the troops recorded significant operational success, recovering five AK-47 rifles, loaded magazines, bicycles, assorted food supplies, logistics items and a large cache of medical materials from the terrorists.

He added that no soldier was injured during the encounter, noting that troop morale remains high as clearance and offensive operations continue in the Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountains, Timbuktu Triangle and other identified Boko Haram and ISWAP enclaves across the North-East.