SIX soldiers of the Nigerian Army were killed in an ambush by terrorists who launched an attacked on Tati community in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday evening.
Six terrorists were also killed by troops of the Nigerian Army during the encounter, according to the statement.
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Nwachukwu said the troops had received a distress call that the community was under attack by suspected bandits on Tuesday.
“While in pursuit of the bandits, troops fell into an ambush staged by the criminals. The troops fought fiercely through the ambush neutralising four of the bandits,” Nwachukwu said.
However, Nwachukwu said during the gun duel, six soldiers lost their lives while one personnel is missing.
He noted that a reinforcement team from 6 Brigades was deployed against the fleeing terrorists at Ananum village in Donga Local Government Area of the state.
According to the Army spokesperson, the reinforcement team neutralised two additional terrorists.
Nwachukwu further disclosed that one Ak 47 rifle, one pistol, one locally fabricated gun, two AK 47 magazines, 19 rounds of 7.62 mm special, seven rounds of 9 mm ammunition and three motorbikes were recovered from the terrorists.
“Troops are currently in pursuit of the bandits and will leave no stone unturned in the ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing personnel,” he added.
The Nigerian Army also enjoined the residents of the state to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security agencies.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94