Troops neutralise 30 terrorists, destroy boats in Borno waterways raid

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised more than 30 insurgents and destroyed several boats during a coordinated offensive along the Lake Chad waterways near the Kaniram Island axis in Borno State.

The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Media Information Officer of the Northeast Joint Taskforce, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sani Uba.

According to Uba, the operation was carried out between Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday, combining both ground and air assaults.

He explained that the air component of Operation Hadin Kai maintained sustained surveillance over the area and identified a concentration of more than 30 terrorist boats, alongside fighters coordinating movement and logistics in the location.

The statement reads “Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), in sustained offensive operations conducted on the night of 21/22 April 2026, delivered devastating precision air strikes that dismantled ISWAP terrorist logistics networks along the Lake Chad waterways around the Kaniram Island axis in Northern Borno State.

“Acting on credible Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance inputs, OPHK air assets established a persistent overhead presence and confirmed the concentration of over 30 terrorist boats and associated terrorist elements coordinating movement and resupply activities. Target validation and identification were carefully achieved, ensuring high targeting fidelity before engagement.”

Uba stressed that following deliberate confirmation in line with Rules of Engagement, OPHK executed well-coordinated precision strikes that destroyed several boats and disrupted the terrorists’ logistics hub.

“This immediately degraded their mobility and ability to sustain operations. Real-time ISR enabled rapid follow-on strikes on fleeing and regrouping elements within nearby vegetation, leading to the neutralisation of over 30 terrorists. Surviving elements were observed escaping in disarray, reflecting a breakdown in their cohesion and command structure,” he stated.

In a related engagement at Sowolwolo in the Sambisa Forest axis, Uba said additional precision-guided strikes were conducted following target fidelity acquisition with Partners.

“The strike took out 3 terrorist Gun trucks and neutralised more terrorists within the vicinity” he said.

Battle Damage Assessment, supported by post-strike intelligence, he said, confirmed significant enemy losses, with evidence of mass burial activities, especially by ISWAP elements in the Mallam Fatori axis.

“Ground forces are currently exploiting the effects of these strikes to dominate adjoining areas and prevent any reconstitution by fleeing elements. These operations highlight OPHK’s sustained offensive pressure and effective air–land integration in dismantling terrorist networks, degrading their capabilities, and denying them freedom of action across the Joint Operations Area.

“The Military High Command commends troops for the impressive battle performance and urged them to sustain aggressive operations to dominate the battlespace” he added.

Uba assured that Operation Hadin Kai will continue to maintain relentless pressure on all terrorist elements until they are decisively defeated.

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