Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have killed 48 suspected members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and Buni Yadi, Gujba LGA of Yobe State.

In a statement on Friday, Mohammed Goni, the acting spokesperson for the operation, said troops foiled the terrorists’ attacks on military positions in the villages between Thursday and Friday.

“In Bitta, troops decisively disorganised an attempted terrorist assault on the night of 29 October 2026.

“The combined response of ground troops and air support overwhelmed the attackers, thwarting their plan and inflicting heavy casualties,” he said.

Mr Goni said that, in another incident, troops launched a successful counter-attack against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS Buni Yadi on Thursday.

He stated that the approximately five-hour engagement was coordinated by the Theatre Command, with the effective integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities, alongside air and ground assets.

“The decisive counter-offensive resulted in 48 terrorists killed, with troops recovering a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition,” he noted.

He said the recovered items included 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.

Other items recovered included 30 rounds of 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary ammunition, 2,738 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 223 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 2,054 rounds of PKT ammunition.

According to him, one soldier was killed during the attack, while two others sustained minor injuries and were receiving medical treatment.

He added that the morale of the troops remained high as they continued operations against terrorist elements across the theatre.

(NAN)