OPERATION HADIN KAI Repels Terrorist Attacks in Borno, Neutralises Fighters in Coordinated Air and Land Assaults

Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have repelled coordinated terrorist attacks in Limankara and Kukawa areas of Borno State, neutralising several fighters in sustained air and ground offensives.

The military disclosed this in a statement issued on February 22, 2026, by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East).

According to the statement, terrorists launched coordinated assaults on the night of February 20, 2026, targeting troops in Limankara and Kukawa. The attacks were, however, decisively repelled as troops mounted strong resistance backed by air support.

In a related operation, troops of Sector 2 under Operation DESERT SANITY V carried out a precision strike in the early hours of February 22 around Lamusheri Village in Gujba Local Government Area. The area had been identified as a key terrorist launch pad and logistics hub following weeks of intelligence gathering supported by satellite imagery and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms.

The troops reportedly came under fire while advancing but, in collaboration with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, outflanked the insurgents and cut off their withdrawal routes. During the ensuing firefight, 15 terrorists were neutralised, while others escaped with gunshot wounds.

The military said several defensive and life-support structures were destroyed during the operation. Five tricycles and two vehicles allegedly used by the terrorists for attacks and logistics were set ablaze. Troops also recovered arms and ammunition, including bandoliers and carmel pouches.

At about 12:56 a.m., terrorists in unconfirmed numbers attempted to infiltrate the Forward Operating Base in Limankara. Alert troops engaged them in a fierce firefight, with reinforcement and air support overwhelming the attackers, who fled through the burial ground axis. The military reported no casualties or equipment losses on its side, while intelligence sources indicated the terrorists suffered casualties.

Similarly, at about 11:20 p.m., insurgents mounted on gun trucks and motorcycles, supported by fighters on foot, launched a multi-pronged attack on troops in Kukawa from the Alagarno and Jemmu axes. The clash extended into the early hours of February 21.

Ground troops, backed by the Nigerian Air Force, engaged the attackers in an intense firefight. One terrorist gun truck was destroyed in a precision air strike, killing four fighters. Further aerial surveillance tracked fleeing insurgents on five motorcycles to a convergence point, where another strike destroyed the motorcycles and neutralised 10 additional fighters.

Following the operation, troops recovered 13 AK-47 rifles, 16 loaded magazines, three handheld radios, stretchers used to evacuate casualties, as well as shallow graves and blood trails reportedly left by the insurgents.

The military confirmed that one soldier was killed during the engagement, while some combat enablers were destroyed by rocket fire. Wounded personnel were evacuated by Nigerian Army Aviation helicopters and are said to be in stable condition.

Operation HADIN KAI stated that the coordinated operations across multiple fronts have further degraded the terrorists’ combat capacity and reinforced its operational dominance in the North-East theatre.