Breaking: Troops Kill Top ISWAP Commander, Fighter, Capture Another Fighter

Breaking: Troops Kill Top ISWAP Commander, Fighter, Capture Another Fighter

  • Troops of Operation Hadin Kai had repelled a coordinated ISWAP attack on Kukareta community in Borno State, killing a top commander and 24 other fighters during a night-long counter-offensive
  • The Theatre Commander, Major-General Abdulsalam Abubakar, had confirmed that ISWAP commander Abu Umar Bundi Munzir was among those neutralised while one fighter was captured alive
  • He had said troops had recovered a large cache of weapons after the operation and vowed sustained pressure on terrorist elements across the North-East theatre

Nigerian troops under Operation Hadin Kai have successfully repelled a coordinated attack by ISWAP terrorists on Kukareta community in Borno state, neutralising a top commander and several fighters in the process.

The insurgents reportedly launched the assault shortly after midnight, attempting to overrun the community, but were met with a swift and sustained counter-offensive by troops of Sector 2 that lasted until about 3:00 a.m.

Troops Kill Top ISWAP Commander, Fighter, Capture Another Fighter
Troops Kill Top ISWAP Commander, Fighter, Capture Another Fighter
Source: Twitter

Top ISWAP commander among those killed

Read also

Breaking: Nigerian troops crush coordinated attacks in 3 Borno locations

Theatre Commander, North East Operation Hadin Kai, Major-General Abdulsalam Abubakar, confirmed that the operation led to the death of ISWAP commander Abu Umar Bundi Munzir alongside other fighters.

He disclosed that a total of 25 insurgents were neutralised during the encounter, Daily Trust reported.

Abubakar said:

“The troops successfully repelled the attack, and in the process, the ISWAP commander Abu Umar Bundi Munzir was among those neutralised.”

He added that one insurgent was captured alive during the operation.

Weapons recovered in follow-up operations

Following the successful defence, troops carried out a clearance and exploitation operation across the battlefield, leading to the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition.

Recovered items included assault rifles, machine guns, anti-aircraft weapons, grenade launchers, mortar tubes, grenades, magazines, and large quantities of ammunition.

According to the theatre commander, traces of blood and abandoned equipment along escape routes suggested that fleeing fighters may have suffered additional casualties.

Soldiers injured, further operations ongoing

The military confirmed that two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire but have since been stabilised and are receiving medical care.

Read also

Insecurity: CSOs speak out over ‘no retreat’ order issued to troops

An armoured reinforcement vehicle was also damaged during the operation.

Major-General Abubakar described the operation as a significant success in ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in the North-East, adding that troops would maintain pressure to deny terrorist groups freedom of action in the region.

Troops foil attacks in Borno

Legit.ng previously reported that troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), operating under Operation HADIN KAI, have successfully repelled coordinated terrorist attacks across three locations in Borno State.

The attacks, which took place on 22 April 2026 in Kanama, Ngoshe and Banki, were thwarted through what military authorities described as a swift and coordinated response by ground forces.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ezra Ukanwa avatar

Ezra Ukanwa (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Ezra Ukanwa is a Reuters-certified journalist with over 5 years of professional experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from Anchor University, Lagos. Currently, he is the Politics and Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He previously worked as a senior correspondent at Vanguard Newspapers. Ezra was recognized as Best Campus Journalist at the Anchor University Communications Awards in 2019 and is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). Contact him at: ezra.ukanwa@corp.legit.ng or +2349036989944

Tags: