By Stella Odueme
Troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation HADIN KAI, have killed 48 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition during separate engagements in Borno and Yobe states.
The military said the operations, which took place between October 29 and 30, 2026, involved the foiling of attacks on military positions in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and the North East Theatre Training School (NETTS), Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.
According to the task force, troops in Bitta successfully repelled an attempted terrorist assault on the night of October 29, with coordinated ground operations and air support overwhelming the attackers and inflicting heavy casualties.
According to a statement by the Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, on Friday, in a related operation, troops launched a counter-offensive against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS in Buni Yadi on October 29 and continued into the early hours of October 30.
The military said the approximately five-hour battle was coordinated by the Theatre Command, with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities integrated with air and ground operations.
The counter-offensive resulted in the killing of 48 terrorists and the recovery of several weapons and ammunition.
Items recovered included 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns, one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.
The 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.
However, the military disclosed that one soldier lost his life during the engagements, while two others sustained minor injuries and were responding to treatment.
It added that the morale of troops remained high as operations continued against terrorist groups across the North-East theatre.
The task force said the latest successes demonstrated the operational coordination, combat effectiveness and determination of troops to deny terrorists freedom of action.
It added that the casualties suffered by the insurgents and the recovery of their weapons and ammunition represented a significant setback to their operational capabilities.