Troops of the Nigerian military’s Operation HADIN KAI have reportedly killed 48 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition during separate engagements in Borno and Yobe states.
The operations, which took place between October 29 and 30, 2026, followed attempted attacks on military positions in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and the North East Theatre Training School (NETTS) in Buni Yadi, Gujba LGA of Yobe State.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Acting Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Capt. Mohammed Goni, troops in Bitta repelled an attempted terrorist assault on the night of October 29 through a coordinated response involving ground forces and air support.
In a related operation, troops launched a counter-attack against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS in Buni Yadi on the same night.
The military said the engagement lasted approximately five hours and involved coordinated intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities, alongside air and ground operations.
The counter-offensive reportedly resulted in the killing of 48 terrorists, while troops recovered 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns, one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.
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Other recovered ammunition included 30 rounds of 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary ammunition, 2,738 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 223 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 2,054 rounds of PKT ammunition.
However, the military disclosed that one soldier was killed during the engagements, while two others sustained minor injuries and were receiving medical attention.
It added that troops remained in high spirits and continued operations against terrorist groups across the North-East theatre.
The statement described the engagements as a setback to the operational capabilities of the insurgents, citing the reported casualties and recovery of weapons and ammunition.
Goni said the latest operations demonstrated the coordination and combat capabilities of troops in responding to attacks and preventing terrorist groups from gaining freedom of action.