From HASSAN JIRGI Maiduguri
Troops of the Nigerian Army, supported by the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, repelled an attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists on the Forward Operating Base, FOB, in Rann, headquarters of Kala-Balge Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security analyst and counter insurgency publication in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, stated that troops engaged the attackers in a fierce gun duel at about 12:15am, prompting the intervention of a NAF fighter jet which arrived the scene during the firefight.
Sources said the incident occurred in the early hours of May 13, when the terrorists, disguised as Fulani herdsmen, launched a coordinated assault on the military base.
On sighting the air platform, they reportedly attempted to flee in different directions to avoid attack.
However, the NAF pilot tracked and engaged a group of the fleeing terrorists escaping in a Hilux truck, neutralising several of them and destroying the vehicle.
According to the publication, the number of casualties on the side of the terrorists could not be independently verified, but the military confirmed that normalcy had been restored to the area following the encounter.