Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have repelled a coordinated ISWAP assault on a forward operating base in Mandaragirau, neutralising scores of fighters and reinforcing battlefield dominance across a critical axis in the North-East Nigeria.
The Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, stated that troops launched a combined offensive-defensive response, supported by close air power, during the early morning engagement to repel the attack and force insurgents into a disorderly withdrawal.
The confrontation at FOB Mandaragirau in Sector 2 resulted in the neutralisation of approximately 38 terrorists, with eight bodies recovered at the immediate engagement site.
Further losses were recorded along withdrawal routes, as human intelligence and field indicators, including blood trails and abandoned equipment, confirmed additional casualties along the Garin Mallum–Garin Gajere corridor extending into the Timbuktu Triangle in Borno State.
Recovered items include seven AK-47 rifles, eight magazines, four RPG bombs, and assorted ammunition, pointing to the scale and intent of the assault.
Troops recorded no fatalities, though one Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle was struck by RPG fire, with injured personnel stabilised.
The engagement was shaped by coordinated ground manoeuvre and real-time intelligence support, with the Air Component providing close air support and ISR feedback that enabled precision targeting during both the initial contact and subsequent pursuit.
Follow-on exploitation operations are ongoing along key withdrawal corridors to recover additional materiel and consolidate territorial control.
The failed assault and subsequent losses mark a disruption of ISWAP’s attempt to reassert pressure along the Mandaragirau axis, a corridor linked to the broader Timbuktu Triangle, long considered a critical insurgent movement and logistics zone.
Military authorities indicate that “sustained pressure, rapid response coordination, and integrated air-ground operations are increasingly constraining insurgents’ freedom of action across the theatre.”
Troops are expected to intensify clearance and pursuit operations in the coming days, targeting retreating elements and reinforcing the denial of regrouping spaces within the wider operational area.
The operation underscores a continued shift toward dominance-driven engagements aimed at breaking attack cycles and degrading insurgent capacity at scale.