28.3.2026
Nigeria army troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI Saturday, beat off an attack by Islamic State West Africa Province fighters, killing 38 terrorists.
According To Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI information officer, the ISWAP fighters launched a futile attack on Forward Base FOB Mandaragirau Sector in Borno State.
He noted that the attackers were engaged with “well-coordinated ambushes and a deliberate offensive-defensive response that forced them into a disorderly withdrawal, while the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI provided close air support to the troops and ISR feedbacks to enhance targeted kinetic responses.
“Subsequent exploitation along the terrorists’ withdrawal routes inflicted further heavy losses.
“A total of about 38 terrorists were neutralised with 8 bodies recovered so far within the immediate engagement area and human intelligence from locals confirming over 30 additional terrorists bodies and weapons strewn along Garin Mallum–Garin Gajere axis into the Timbuktu Triangle.
“This was evidenced by blood trails and abandoned equipment. Troops also recovered 7 AK-47 rifles, 8 magazines, 4 RPG bombs and assorted ammunition, while recording no fatalities; one MRAP was hit by RPG fire, with injured personnel promptly stabilised.”
The Troops noted that the scale of enemy losses has triggered widespread jubilation among local communities and underscores the sustained dominance of OPHK troops in denying terrorists freedom of action.
Further exploitation operations are ongoing along the Garin Mallum – Garin Gajere axis at the fringes of the Timbuktu Triangle to recover the littered terrorists’ corpses and consolidate gains.