The Nigerian army has reacted after terrorists group Islamic State said on Thursday that it had killed 13 Nigerian soldiers and five troops from a west African anti-militant force in attacks over recent days.
In its newspaper Al-Nabaa, IS said its fighters killed the Nigerians in attacks on a military barracks on Friday, a military post on Sunday, and a town on Monday, all in northeastern Borno state.
Read the press statment by the Nigerian army below.
The attention of the Multinational Joint Task Force has been drawn to a story published online, claiming that the break away faction of Boko Haram Terrorists, otherwise known as Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has killed 18 soldiers in a recent attack within the Area of Operation. The MNJTF wishes to state categorically that no such attack and loss of service personnel has taken place within its area of responsibility .
The MNJTF wishes to note that the falsehood being orchestrated by the media arm of ISWAP is nothing but a desperate attempt to revamp the parlous and deplorable image of ISWAP following several weeks of devastating operational losses in the Lake Chad Area.
It has been widely reported and it is now common knowledge that sustained offensive actions by MNJTF troops and national forces have resulted in over 200 ISWAP personnel casualties and defections as well as numerous equipment seizures and destruction. The claim of killing 18 MNJTF personnel in an unspecified location is therefore very strange and completely untrue. Consequently, the general public is advised to disregard the ISWAP falsehood in its entirety.
Furthermore, the MNJTF also wishes to draw the attention of the media to the sacred duty it owes the generality of peace loving citizens of the Lake Chad Basin Countries and therefore urges the media to remain vigilant in order to frustrate attempts by terrorists to spread falsehood and propaganda in a bid to disrupt public order, peace and civility.
You are please requested to disseminate this information to the general public.
Colonel Timothy Antigha
Chief of Military Public Information
MNJTF
N’Djamena – Chad