Troops foil terror attack, rescue three kidnap victims

Troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have foiled a terrorist attack in Kaduna State and rescued three kidnapped victims in Zamfara State.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the JTF Media Information Officer, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, troops of Sector 1 responded to a distress call over terrorist activities at Unguwan Gardago Village in Kaduna North Local Government Area.

He said the terrorists had robbed residents of motorcycles and mobile phones before abducting a civilian and forcing him to guide them out of the community.

“Troops swiftly responded, mounted an ambush along the terrorists’ withdrawal route and engaged them, forcing the terrorists to flee and abandon the motorcycles and other items looted from residents,” he said.

According to him, troops recovered three motorcycles, one PKT machine gun working mechanism and components of a pump-action firearm during the operation.

He, however, said the abducted civilian was killed by the terrorists, adding that troops later recovered his body and handed it over to his relatives.

Danja said in a separate operation on Friday , troops of Sector 2 responded to an attack on a Canter vehicle along the Anka-Gummi Road in Zamfara State.

He said the troops made contact with the terrorists, forcing them to abandon their victims and flee.

“Troops subsequently rescued three kidnapped victims and recovered terrorist communication equipment,” he said.

The JTF urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies.

“The Theatre Command remains committed to protecting the lives and property of the citizenry, while disrupting terrorist networks and denying them freedom of action across the Joint Operations Area,” Danja said.