The Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), announced Thursday that it has recorded a major operational success after troops stormed and dismantled a Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist camp in the Kopre Mountain area of Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State, neutralising more than 21 terrorists in the process.
According to a statement issued by the Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni, the operation was carried out by a joint force comprising the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) Tactical Team and newly deployed troops of 226 Battalion, acting on “credible intelligence.”
Goni said the troops, recently posted to Sector 4, Adamawa State, “under the directive of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu NAM,” carried out a stealth insertion into the target area before dawn on August 27, overcoming what he described as “difficult and rugged terrain” to penetrate the terrorists’ enclave.
“The joint force successfully penetrated the terrorists’ enclave and launched a precision strike on the camp in the early hours of 27 August 2026,” the statement read.
Goni disclosed that the raid forms part of a broader push to locate and free civilians held by the terrorist group, including “persons abducted from Mussa community in May 2026 and the Lassa school children abducted in June 2026.”
Describing the operation, the statement said troops closed in on the camp and clashed with the terrorists in two separate firefights. “Following fierce engagements, over 21 terrorists were neutralised, while several others escaped with gunshot wounds,” it noted.
After overpowering the fighters, the joint force went on to take full control of the area, “dismantled the entire terrorist camp and destroyed associated logistics infrastructure,” further weakening the group’s ability to operate in the axis.
Items destroyed on the spot included motorcycles, bicycles and jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) said to have supported the terrorists’ mobility and logistics. Troops also recovered several AK-47 rifles, AK-47 magazines and a large quantity of 7.62mm Special ammunition.
The Military High Command praised the personnel involved, commending what it called the “gallantry, professionalism, resilience and seamless coordination” of the ONSA Tactical Team and OPHK troops during the offensive.
The statement said the operation “underscores the sustained operational tempo, tactical proficiency, intelligence exploitation capability and combat effectiveness of the joint force,” and demonstrates the military’s capacity to strike terrorist enclaves even in restrictive terrain.
OPHK said it remains committed to “aggressive, intelligence-driven operations” aimed at rescuing abducted persons and dismantling terrorist strongholds across the North East, assuring the public that operations “will be sustained until all abducted persons are located and rescued.”
The statement was signed by Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters, Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, and dated August 27, 2026.
