Troops Kill 48 ISWAP Fighters, Seize 42 Rifles, Other Weapons In Borno, Yobe

Troops of the Nigerian Military under Operation Hadin Kai have killed 48 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition, including 42 AK-47 rifles, during separate operations in Borno and Yobe states.

The operations followed attempts by terrorists to attack military positions in Bitta, Gwoza local government area of Borno State, and the North East Theatre Training School (NETTS), Buni Yadi, Gujba LGA of Yobe State, between October 29 and 30, 2026.

The acting media information officer of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
Goni said troops repelled the attack on their position in Bitta on the night of October 29 through a coordinated response involving ground forces and air support, which overwhelmed the attackers and inflicted heavy casualties.
He said troops also launched a counter-offensive against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS, Buni Yadi, in an engagement that lasted about five hours and extended into the early hours of October 30.

According to him, the operation was coordinated by the Theatre Command, with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities integrated with air and ground assets.

He disclosed that 48 terrorists were killed during the counter-offensive, while troops recovered 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.

Other recovered items included 2,738 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 2,054 rounds of PKT ammunition, 223 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 30 rounds of 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary ammunition.

The military, however, said one soldier was killed during the engagements, while two others sustained minor injuries and were responding to treatment.

Goni said the morale of troops remained high, adding that the military would sustain operations against terrorist elements across the North-East.

He described the operations as a significant setback to the terrorists’ operational capabilities, citing the casualties inflicted and the recovery of weapons and ammunition.