UPDATED: Troops Kill 48 ISWAP Fighters In Borno, Yobe Operations, Recover Weapons
The combined air and ground forces defeated the attackers, while troops continued to exploit the area.
Operation Hadin Kai
FILE PHOTO: Troops of the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have recorded gains in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations.
Troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation Hadin Kai, have killed 48 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters during operations in Borno and Yobe States.
The military said the operations took place in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, on the night of October 29 and into the early hours of October 30, 2026.
In a statement on Friday, the Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters of the North East Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said troops repelled an attempted terrorist assault in Bitta through a combined response involving ground forces and air support.
He said the operation overwhelmed the attackers, disrupted their plans and inflicted heavy casualties.
“In a related development, troops launched a successful counter-attack against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS Buni Yadi on same 29th October to the early hours on 30th October 2026,” Goni said.
He explained that the approximately five-hour engagement was coordinated by the Theatre Command, with the use of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities, alongside air and ground assets.
Goni said the counter-offensive resulted in the death of 48 terrorists, while troops recovered a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition.
The recovered items include 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.
Other recovered ammunition comprised 30 rounds of 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary ammunition, 2,738 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 223 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 2,054 rounds of PKT ammunition.
The military disclosed that one soldier was killed during the engagements, while two others sustained minor injuries and were receiving treatment.
It added that troops remained in high spirits as they continued operations against terrorist groups across the North-East.
