Troops under Operation Hadin Kai have intensified counterinsurgency operations in Nigeria’s North-East, killing over 50 terrorists, including a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while also arresting several suspected collaborators across Borno State.
This was disclosed in an operational update made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
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According to the report, a coordinated and precision airstrike conducted around Kirta and Arina Ciki led to the elimination of multiple terrorist leaders, among them Khalifa Umar, identified as a member of the ISWAP Shura Council.
The military noted that sustained aerial bombardments have compelled insurgents to abandon their island hideouts and retreat towards mainland locations due to mounting pressure.
It further revealed that troops arrested three suspected ISWAP informants and logistics suppliers, alongside a dismissed soldier who allegedly deserted with his weapon and was later implicated in criminal activities. The arrests were carried out in separate operations within Maiduguri and adjoining communities.
Recovered items from the suspects included a rifle with magazines, a vehicle, about 30 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), and other materials believed to support terrorist operations.
Troops also carried out patrol operations along the Kukawa axis, engaging fleeing insurgent scouts and recovering ammunition during the encounters.
The North-East theatre remains the focal point of Nigeria’s long-running counterterrorism campaign under Operation Hadin Kai.
Over the years, combined air and ground offensives have targeted ISWAP and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) strongholds across the Lake Chad Basin and Sambisa Forest axis.
Recent military operations have increasingly relied on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) alongside precision airstrikes to disrupt terrorist command structures, supply routes and mobility networks.
Security authorities say this evolving approach has forced insurgents to abandon fortified island bases and break into smaller dispersed cells, making them more vulnerable to sustained military pressure.
The latest operations, according to the military, are part of ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist leadership, disrupt logistics chains and deny criminal groups freedom of movement within the region and border corridors.
The armed forces reiterated that operations will continue in order to further weaken terrorist capabilities and restore lasting peace and stability in the North-East.
NAN
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