Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, have successfully repelled a night attack launched by suspected ISWAP terrorists on the 120 Task Force Battalion in Gonori, Borno State.
The operation, which began late Saturday and continued into the early hours of Sunday, involved coordinated ground and air assaults against the insurgents.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Media Information Officer of Headquarters, Joint Task Force (North East), Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, the Army disclosed that the terrorists advanced toward the military formation from the Mandunari axis around midnight on May 9, 2026.
According to the statement, troops detected the movement early and immediately responded with a coordinated defensive operation.
“Troops immediately executed a well-coordinated spoiling attack which caught the terrorists in a devastating killing zone,” the statement said.
The military stated that the attackers were overwhelmed before they could penetrate the military base.
“No part of the camp was breached and no equipment was lost,” the Army added.
The confrontation later escalated into a joint land and air offensive after air platforms from Operation HADIN KAI and the Nigerian Army Aviation were deployed to support the troops on ground.
“The air component subsequently completed a well synchronised air-land assault that decimated the retreating insurgents and sealed the totality of their defeat,” the statement further noted.
Following the operation, troops carried out exploitation of the surrounding area and reportedly discovered signs indicating heavy casualties among the insurgents.
“Exploitation of the general area revealed extensive blood trails, body parts and battle damage consistent with scores of terrorist casualties, in addition to terrorist corpses recovered within the immediate vicinity,” the Army stated.
Security forces also recovered several weapons and ammunition from the scene, including one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), two PKT machine guns, five AK-47 rifles and multiple belts of assorted ammunition.
The military added that soldiers injured during the encounter are currently receiving medical treatment and are in stable condition.
Operation HADIN KAI said follow-up operations are ongoing to track fleeing insurgents and sustain operational gains across the North-East theatre.
The Army described the failed attack as evidence of the continued operational superiority of troops in the fight against insurgency in the region.
