Terrorists attack military helicopter in Borno

Terrorists suspected to be members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) have opened fire on a military helicopter belonging to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in a deadly attack.

MNJTF is a combined multinational military formation from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria with headquarters in N’Djamena and a mandate to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the countries.

The force is structured in four national sectors: Sector 1 (Cameroon) headquartered at Mora; Sector 2 (Chad) headquartered at Baga-Sola; Sector 3 (Nigeria) based in Baga; and Sector 4 (Niger), based in the town of Diffa.

The militants were said to have used “sophisticated anti-aircraft rifles and GPMG” during the attack on the helicopter last Thursday.

According to sources, the pilot and co-pilot were the only ones onboard and were able to land the aircraft successfully and unhurt.

Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State of West Africa Province, formerly known as Jamä’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad have been ferocious in recent years, attacking civilians and even military formations.

According to a 2021 report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), insurgency had claimed the lives of nearly 350,000 people as of the end of 2020.

However, the Nigerian Army has repeatedly assured that the military is winning the battle against the terrorists, while they keep intensifying efforts to bring an end to the menace.

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