Troops Eliminate 26 Terrorists in Major North-East Operations

By: Adamu Aliyu Ngulde, Maiduguri

Nigerian troops have killed at least 26 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in a series of fierce operations across Borno and Adamawa States, military sources confirmed over the weekend.

The raids, carried out by the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai, between Sept. 21 and Sept. 27, delivered what officials described as a “significant blow” to insurgent networks still terrorizing communities in the region.

In addition to the deaths of the militants, soldiers recovered assault rifles, ammunition, narcotics, and materials for building bombs. Security patrols also seized 20 jerricans of smuggled fuel in Mubi South and intercepted abandoned fertilizer stockpiles in Mubi North — a chemical often diverted for use in improvised explosive devices.

On Sept. 27 alone, troops stormed Loskori Kura in Mafa Local Government Area, killing 11 fighters and capturing four AK-47 rifles along with a cache of drugs. Another militant was eliminated the same day in Konduga LGA during a nighttime raid. Earlier in the week, soldiers cut down a Boko Haram scout near Kolori Karumi, west of Alau Dam.

The operations stretched across multiple flashpoints:
In Zar village, Hong LGA, troops recovered an AK-47 rifle on Sept. 24.
Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Magumeri seized another weapon from two suspected kidnappers.

At Forward Operating Base Azir in Damboa, troops repelled a large-scale terrorist assault on Sept. 25, killing one insurgent and recovering rifles and IED-making components.

The high command praised the troops for their “resilience and gallantry,” vowing to intensify offensive strikes until terrorism is dismantled in the North-East.

“These operations demonstrate the military’s resolve to deny terrorists freedom of movement and cut off their lifelines,” a senior security source told reporters.

The North-East has endured more than a decade of Boko Haram violence that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions. Officials say the latest push is part of an aggressive strategy to finally degrade the remaining strongholds of the extremists.