Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have sustained offensive operations across multiple fronts in Borno State, successfully thwarting coordinated terrorist attacks and neutralised several fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the military disclosed that troops demonstrated combat superiority by repelling simultaneous terrorist assaults in Limankara and Kukawa on the night of February 20, 2026, further tightening operational pressure on insurgent enclaves and logistics networks across the theatre.
Uba explained that the failed attacks reflected the increasing pressure on terrorist leadership structures, noting that sustained offensive operations and targeted strikes have continued to denied insurgents freedom of action, forcing them into disorganised withdrawals under heavy losses.
In a related development, troops of Sector 2 under Operation DESERT SANITY V conducted a precision offensive in the early hours of February 22 around Lamusheri Village in Gujba Local Government Area, identified as a major terrorist launch pad and logistics hub. Acting on weeks of intelligence supported by satellite imagery and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) air platforms, troops advanced despite enemy resistance and, in collaboration with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, outflanked the insurgents and blocked their escape routes.
During the ensuing firefight, 15 terrorists were neutralised while several others fled with gunshot wounds. Troops destroyed extensive defensive structures and life-support facilities used by the insurgents, set ablaze five terrorist tricycles and two vehicles deployed for logistics and attacks, and recovered arms, ammunition, bandoliers, and carmel pouches.
On the same night, terrorists attempted to infiltrate the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Limankara but were swiftly engaged by alert troops. Reinforced by the Air Component Command, the troops overwhelmed the attackers, forcing them to retreat through the burial ground axis. No casualties or equipment losses were recorded among friendly forces, while human intelligence sources confirmed multiple enemy casualties. Military authorities said the situation remains firmly under control.
Similarly, terrorists mounted on gun trucks and motorcycles launched a coordinated multi-pronged attack on troops in Kukawa from the Alagarno and Jemmu axes. Anticipating the assault, troops mounted a determined defence, engaged the attackers in an intense firefight that lasted into the early hours of February 21.
Supported by precision air strikes from the OPHK Air Component, the troops repelled the attackers, destroyed one terrorist gun truck and neutralised four fighters. Continued aerial surveillance tracked fleeing insurgents on five motorcycles to a convergence point, where another precision strike eliminated an additional 10 fighters and destroyed the motorcycles.
Subsequent exploitation operations led to the recovery of 13 AK-47 rifles, 16 loaded magazines, three handheld radios used for terrorist communications, stretchers employed for casualty evacuation, as well as shallow graves and blood trails indicating heavy enemy losses.
The military, however, confirmed that one soldier paid the supreme price during the engagements, while some combat enablers were damaged by rocket fire. Wounded personnel were promptly evacuated by Nigerian Army Aviation helicopters and are reported to be in stable condition.
The Military High Command commended the troops for their impressive performance and urged them to sustain the operational tempo to further degrade terrorist combat capabilities.
