Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have successfully repelled coordinated terrorist attacks launched by ISWAP fighters on multiple military positions in Borno State, inflicting heavy casualties on the insurgents and recovering a cache of weapons and equipment.
The military said the foiled assaults targeted troop locations at Njimtilo, Baga, Buratai and Damboa in the early hours of Sunday, March 16, 2026, in what it described as a desperate multi-pronged attempt by terrorists to overrun military formations and gain propaganda advantage.
In a statement issued by the Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, troops were said to have demonstrated superior combat readiness and tactical dominance as they decisively engaged the attackers from several directions.
According to the statement, at Ajiri Cross, ahead of Njimtilo, terrorists attempted to infiltrate positions occupied by troops of Sector 1 but were swiftly detected and met with fierce resistance.
The military said vigilant troops had anticipated the move and adopted a deliberate offensive-defensive posture, enabling them to unleash coordinated firepower and tactical manoeuvres that disrupted the assault and cut off the terrorists’ withdrawal routes.
The insurgents were subsequently routed and forced into a chaotic retreat after suffering heavy casualties.
Similar attacks on troop positions in Baga, Buratai and Damboa were also repelled, as troops brought what the military described as superior firepower to bear on the attackers.
The operations were further bolstered by timely close air support from the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI and the Nigerian Army Aviation, whose precision strikes reportedly shattered the terrorists’ assault formations and compounded their losses as they attempted to flee.
The military disclosed that several terrorists were neutralised during the coordinated engagements, including a key commander said to have led the assault on Buratai, while many others escaped with gunshot wounds along their withdrawal routes.
Despite the intensity of the firefights, which led to the destruction of some equipment and left a number of personnel wounded, troops maintained firm control of all attacked locations and immediately launched follow-up exploitation operations to track the fleeing insurgents.
During the post-battle exploitation around Baga, extending to Korochara and Garin Giwa toward the Gidan Kaje general area, troops recovered a significant cache of enemy weapons and combat items.
Recovered items include three PKT machine guns, seven AK-47 rifles, 206 rounds of PKT ammunition, 418 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition, seven AK-47 magazines, three AK-74 magazines, and three RPG bombs.
Other items recovered from the terrorists include two camel bags, three head warmers, one blanket, one magazine carrier, and one litre of engine oil, while three motorcycles used by the insurgents were destroyed.
The military further revealed that troops recovered seven terrorist corpses during the operation, while intelligence indicated that the fleeing fighters hurriedly buried another 20 bodies in shallow graves during their withdrawal.
Operation HADIN KAI said the failed assaults reflect the growing desperation of terrorist elements under sustained military pressure across the North East theatre, noting that successive defeats have significantly reduced their freedom of action and disrupted efforts to stage false propaganda narratives.
The Joint Task Force reassured residents that all affected locations remain firmly under military control and urged members of the public to remain vigilant and disregard fake reports or disinformation intended to undermine ongoing counter-terrorism operations. (SPAYETV)
