Troops of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have neutralised 10 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in the Gajiram–Gajigana–Mayanti–Dadinjel axis of Borno and Yobe states.

The terrorists were killed while attempting attacks on Nigerian Army Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in Gajiram, Gajigana, Mayanti and Dadinjel between February 28 and March 1, 2026.

The Media Information Officer of OPHK, Lt-Col Sani Uba, said in a statement yesterday: “Our troops have again demonstrated resilience by thwarting coordinated ISWAP attacks on the Forward Operating Bases of Mayanti, Gajigana, Gajiram and Dadinjel.”

He added that the assaults occurred as Sector 2 troops intensified offensive operations across key areas of the Lake Chad region and the Sambisa Forest.

“The failed assaults, launched between the late hours of February 28 and the early hours of March 1, 2026, underscore the growing desperation of terrorist elements under sustained pressure on their hideouts, logistics corridors and leadership structures,” Uba said.

He stated that the attack on Gajigana was successfully repelled, with troops maintaining control of their positions, while engagements at Mayanti and Gajiram resulted in casualties among the insurgents and the recovery of weapons.

“On February 28, 2026, Mayanti FOB came under heavy attack by a large number of terrorists, but the troops held firm despite intense fire,” he said.
Reinforcements later fought through an ambush and improvised explosive device threats to dislodge the attackers.

“Exploitation confirmed five terrorist corpses, with the recovery of three PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, two RPG-7 tubes, four AK-47 rifles, two FN rifles, three RPG bombs and large quantities of 7.62mm ammunition,” he added, noting that blood trails suggested additional casualties.

Uba, however, disclosed that an officer was killed during the operations.

On March 1, 2026, at about 1:15 a.m., insurgents armed with PKT guns, rocket-propelled grenades and drones attacked the Gajiram FOB but were repelled with support from Nigerian Air Force fighter jets.

He said three bodies were recovered along the withdrawal route. Other items retrieved included four AK-47 rifles, five anti-tank bombs, three locally fabricated mortar bombs, an armed drone, six fully loaded 7.62mm NATO magazines, barbed wire cutters, specialised ammunition and poisoned arrows.

A wounded soldier was airlifted by an Army helicopter to a military hospital for treatment.

In separate operations under Sector 2 of Operation Desert Sanity V, troops engaged insurgents at Kayawa village, forcing them to abandon a tricycle, three motorcycles and five bicycles. The troops also destroyed identified structures, arrested two confessed ISWAP logistics suppliers and recovered drugs and medical supplies allegedly used to treat wounded fighters in the forest and Lake Chad region.

During an ambush at Bulturam bend and Dadingel in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe state, troops neutralised two insurgents and recovered two AK-47 rifles, four magazines and a bicycle.

“All locations remain firmly under our control, and the scale of recoveries and confirmed enemy losses further underscores the degrading combat capacity of ISWAP elements,” Uba said.