Troops of the Northeast Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Hadin, have neutralised eight an Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the Timbuktu Triangle of the Sambisa Forest in Borno state.

The military said the two-hour  operation, followed a credible intelligence indicating the presence of suspected terrorists at Thethangala village within the Timbuktu Triangle, a known area of insurgents’ activiries.

Security sources familiar with the military operations told The Guardian on Wednesday, in Maiduguri that the strike was conducted at about 9:56 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, after a  fighter aircraft established the target in the forest triangle..

According to the security sources, the aircraft identified eight suspected terrorists, who had gathered and were preparing to launch an attack on Nigerian groud troops deployed in the area.

The suspected ISWAP fighters were subsequently engaged in a precision airstrike.that lasted for five minutes.

Beyond launching the airstrikes, a security source said, “There was a Battle Damage Assessment that shows all the terrorists neutralised, with no further movement observed after the airstrikes.

The military operation was  corroborated with a security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama.

The Timbuktu Triangle is regarded as a significant operational area for ISWAP activities, with terrorists using parts of the forest axis to regroup and launch attacks against military positions and several  communities.

The latest operation is part of the ongoing efforts by Operation Hadin Kai to disrupt terrorist formations, logistics networks and planned attacks across the North-East region, comprising six states.