A fierce overnight battle in Kukawa has left one soldier dead after Nigerian troops successfully pushed back a massive, coordinated terrorist assault supported by strategic air strikes.
The high-stakes confrontation was detailed by security analyst Zagazola Makama on X, who reported that the military managed to “thwarted a coordinated multi-pronged terrorist assault on positions in Kukawa after a prolonged overnight battle supported by air strikes.”
According to military insiders, the attackers moved in under the cover of darkness late on February 20, launching a sophisticated raid “mounted on gun trucks, motorcycles and on foot” from several different directions at once.
Despite the overwhelming numbers, the troops “mounted a determined defence, engaging the insurgents in intense combat that lasted into the early hours of Feb. 21 before forcing them to withdraw while dragging away casualties,” according to the report.
The tide of the battle turned decisively when air power was called in to hunt down the retreating group. Makama noted that “air strikes later destroyed one gun truck and several motorcycles carrying fleeing fighters, neutralising additional terrorists.”
In the aftermath of the fighting, a sweep of the battlefield uncovered a significant cache of abandoned weapons, including 13 AK-47 rifles, 16 loaded magazines, and three handheld radios, alongside clear evidence that the insurgents had scrambled to evacuate their dead and wounded.
The victory, however, came at a painful price for the unit. “One soldier was killed during the encounter, while some equipment was damaged by rocket fire,” Makama shared, though he added that the injured survivors were evacuated and “are reported to be in stable condition.”
Reflecting on the mission’s success, military authorities emphasized that these joint ground and air operations show “sustained pressure on insurgent elements and continued efforts to degrade their combat capability across the theatre.”