There are indications that the Nigerian Air Force airstrike against ISWAP fighters in Damboa, Borno State, inflicted significant damage on the terrorists more than initially reported.
This was made known on Saturday in a post on X by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert focused on the Lake Chad region.
The Nigerian Army, through troops of Operation Hadin Kai and its air component, repelled a coordinated attack by ISWAP terrorists on Damboa town, killing 16 insurgents in a fierce overnight battle.
However, Makama stated that the terrorists used push carts and vehicles to remove the corpses in haste, citing impeccable sources familiar with the incident.
The security expert disclosed that credible local and military sources informed him that at least 20 additional bodies were evacuated by the terrorists under the cover of darkness.
According to Makama, this brings the total number of confirmed terrorist fatalities to at least 41.
Military sources said intelligence reports indicated that ISWAP leadership in the Lake Chad axis had directed a recovery mission late Saturday to retrieve bodies of dead fighters.
This it claimed was in a bid to maintain morale and obscure the extent of the loss from the rank and file.
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