At least 26 Boko Haram fighters were killed and 10 motorcycles destroyed when troops of the 101 Special Forces Battalion foiled an attack on Kukawa in Borno on Friday night.
The Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement issued in Maiduguri on Saturday.
Goni said the terrorists attacked the troops’ location in Kukawa at about 10:50 pm on August 28, 2026.
He said the troops responded with direct and indirect fire, forcing the terrorists to withdraw towards the Cross Kauwa axis.
“The terrorists attacked troops of 101 Special Forces Battalion in Kukawa at about 10:50 pm on 28 August 2026. Troops responded with direct and indirect fire, forcing the terrorists to withdraw towards the Cross Kauwa axis,” he said.
According to him, several terrorists were killed during the encounter, while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
He said troops later recovered some of the terrorists’ corpses during an exploitation of the area.
Goni said the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai was subsequently deployed to intercept the fleeing terrorists.
“Despite challenging weather conditions, the Air Component engaged terrorists taking cover under trees, killing an estimated 10 of them,” he stated.
He added that Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance assets of the Multinational Joint Task Force tracked about 20 motorcycles conveying fleeing terrorists towards the Tunbuns/Kangarwa axis.
“The information enabled the Air Component to conduct a follow-up precision strike that killed an additional 15 terrorists and destroyed 10 motorcycles,” Goni said.
He further disclosed that during subsequent ground operations, troops killed another terrorist and recovered two motorcycles, assorted ammunition and other logistics items.
According to him, the coordinated ground and air operations disrupted the attack, prevented the terrorists from regrouping and further degraded their mobility and fighting capability in the area.
He said troops were subsequently replenished by air with essential combat supplies to sustain the operation and maintain pressure on the terrorists.
On military casualties, Goni said four personnel sustained injuries during the engagement, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.
“Four personnel sustained injuries during the engagement but none was life-threatening. The wounded soldiers were evacuated by air for medical attention and are in stable condition,” he said.
Goni said troops had commenced reorganisation and extensive exploitation of the area, adding that battle damage assessment was ongoing.
He said the successful defence of Kukawa demonstrated the capacity of Operation Hadin Kai to integrate ground forces, air assets and intelligence capabilities in responding to terrorist threats.
He reaffirmed the military’s commitment to sustained offensive operations and intelligence-led surveillance to degrade terrorist capabilities, deny them freedom of action and protect communities across the North-East.
