Troops of Operation Hadin Kai has neutralised more than 50 terrorists, including a top ISWAP commander, and arrested multiple collaborators across Borno state.
This is revealed in an operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
The military stated that the major success followed a precision airstrike around Kirta and Arina Ciki, which killed several terrorist commanders, including Khalifa Umar, a member of the ISWAP Shura Council.
The report also stated that troops apprehended three suspected ISWAP logistics suppliers and informants, as well as a deserter soldier who absconded with his weapon and was later linked to criminal activities, in separate operations within Maiduguri and surrounding areas.
It mentioned that items recovered from the suspects include a rifle with magazines, a vehicle, 30 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), and other materials used in supporting terrorist operations.
“Troops also conducted fighting patrols in the Kukawa axis, engaging fleeing terrorist scouts and recovering ammunition,” it added.
The North-East theatre remains the epicentre of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism campaign under Operation Hadin Kai.
Over the years, coordinated air and ground raids have targeted ISWAP and JAS enclaves across the Lake Chad Basin and Sambisa axis.
Operations in recent times have increasingly combined intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with precision airstrikes, aimed at disrupting terrorist command structures, logistics hubs and mobility routes.
The military’s evolving strategy has led to insurgents abandoning fortified island enclaves and dispersing into smaller cells, making them more vulnerable to sustained pursuit operations.
The latest wave of operations aims to degrade leadership, cut supply chains, and prevent terrorists from moving across state and border corridors.
