Nigerian troops under Operation HADIN KAI have killed 12 fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during a targeted offensive in Borno State, the military said.
The operation is among the most decisive in recent weeks and underscores the army’s renewed momentum in counter-insurgency efforts across Nigeria’s northeast, where Islamist militants have waged a prolonged insurgency for more than a decade.
The joint force, backed by the Air Component’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), launched long-range commando offensives between 29 and 30 August 2025. The operation cleared terrorists’ hideouts in Tamsu Ngamdu, Dalakaleri and Gaza.
According to a statement by the Nigerian Army Info, a central information system of the operations across the theatre, the troops engaged insurgents at Loskori Kura, where 12 fighters were killed after an intense firefight.
Recovered items included eight AK-47 rifles, eight fully loaded magazines, assorted drugs and medical supplies believed to be stockpiled for insurgent use.
Military authorities praised the resilience of the troops, urging the theatre command to sustain the tempo of the onslaught until total peace is restored to the region.
Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) is the Nigerian military’s flagship counterterrorism campaign in the North East, launched in April 2021 as a successor to Operation LAFIYA DOLE.
Recent counter-offensives have increasingly targeted insurgent logistics and medical bases to weaken the ISWAP’s long-term capacity.