Troops kill 38 terrorists in multi-front ISWAP attack

From Jude Owuamanam, Jos

 Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have neutralised 38 terrorists among ISWAP members who attacked the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Mandaragirau in Sector 2 yesterday.

The attack, which took place in the early hours of yesterday, saw the troops decisively defeating a half-hearted attack by ISWAP terrorists on the base.

In a statement signed by Media Information Officer Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, said that eight bodies had so far been recovered.

The statement read in part: “On 28 March 2026 troops engaged the attackers with well-coordinated ambushes and a deliberate offensive-defensive response that forced them into a disorderly withdrawal while the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI provided close air support to the troops and ISR feedbacks to enhance targeted kinetic responses.

“Subsequent exploitation along the terrorists’ withdrawal routes inflicted further heavy losses.

“A total of about 38 terrorists were neutralised with 8 bodies recovered so far within the immediate engagement area and human intelligence from locals confirming over 30 additional terrorists bodies and weapons strewn along Garin Mallum–Garin Gajere axis into the Timbuktu Triangle.

“This was evidenced by blood trails and abandoned equipment. Troops also recovered 7 AK-47 rifles, 8 magazines, 4 RPG bombs and assorted ammunition, while recording no fatalities; one MRAP was hit by RPG fire, with injured personnel promptly stabilised.

“The scale of enemy losses has triggered widespread jubilation among local communities and underscores the sustained dominance of OPHK troops in denying terrorists freedom of action.

“Further exploitation operations are ongoing along the Garin Mallum-Garin Gajere axis at the fringes of the Timbuktu Triangle to recover the littered terrorists’ corpses and consolidate gains.”