*Military urges media to resist publishing names of casualties until families are formally notified
The Nigerian military, on Sunday, said troops of Operation Hadin Kai killed no fewer than 70 terrorists, including three notorious commanders, in a deadly encounter with the criminals in their fortified enclaves codenamed Timbuktu Triangle.
It identified the commanders as Talha, terrorist special forces commander; Mallam Umar, terrorist operations commander; and Abu Yazeed, terrorist brigade commander.
The military also announced the martyrdom of 22 of its men during the encounter.
A statement by Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, appealed to the media to resist the temptation of publishing names of troop casualties to allow them to formally notify their next of kin.
The statement said, “Troops of Operation Hadin Kai in North-east operational theatre conducted clearance operation to renowned terrorist stronghold and enclave known as Timbuktu Triangle.
“The three-pronged operation aimed at dismantling the terrorist presence within the triangle commenced on 16 Jan 25 till date.
“Troops recorded several encounters with terrorists during the course of the clearance operations, which resulted in over 70 terrorist combatants, including three notable terrorist commanders, neutralised.
“The terrorist commanders neutralised include and is not limited to the following: TALHA (Terrorist Special Forces Commander), Mallam UMAR (Terrorist Operations commander) and ABU YAZEED (Terrorist Brigade Commander).”
Buba revealed that the terrorists deployed Improvised Explosive Devices( IEDs), Person Borne Improvised Explosive Devices suicide bombers, as well as Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices suicide bombers in explosive vehicles to try to ward off troops advancement and attacks during the operations.
He said the troops already knew the terrorists’ tactics and thwarted the several attempts, including shooting down the amateur drones used by the terrorists.
The statement added, “Overall, during the course of the operations, troops sadly recorded 22 killed in action casualties with several others wounded in action.
“On this account, the media is enjoined to resist publishing names of troop casualties to allow the formal notification of their next of kin.”
Buba stressed that the public would be updated on further developments in the ongoing operation in due course.
Source: ThisDay
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