Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have intensified their offensive against terrorist groups, recording significant successes in coordinated ground and air operations across key strongholds in the region.
The military operations, carried out under Operation DESERT SANITY V, targeted terrorist enclaves in the Timbuktu axis and Bulabulin Forest areas, with troops of Sector 2 working closely with the Air Component Command to dismantle insurgent networks.
On the Bulabulin Forest axis, troops—alongside the Sector 2 Stabilisation Force Brigade and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force—successfully cleared several terrorist hideouts in Mar, Subdu, Yaro Lawanti and Yaro Shuwari, as well as surrounding areas near the Kamadogu Yobe stretch.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, the troops engaged terrorists at Malam Shiri Village in a “well-coordinated and tactical flanking manoeuvre,” neutralising 11 fighters while others fled with injuries.
He added that troops destroyed key logistics hubs used by the insurgents and recovered a cache of weapons, including nine AK-47 rifles, three PKT anti-aircraft machine guns, five motorcycles, ammunition, and materials for making improvised explosive devices.
In a similar operation along the Wajiroko–Sabongari corridor in the Timbuktu axis, troops again engaged terrorists with the support of air power, maintaining their positions and repelling the attackers.
“Subsequent exploitation revealed seven neutralised terrorists, while blood trails and body parts indicated even higher enemy casualties,” Uba said.
Items recovered from the scene included AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenade tubes, large quantities of ammunition, bandoliers, and communication equipment.
The Air Component Command played a decisive role in both operations, providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support that enabled precise targeting. Fighter aircraft also carried out air interdiction strikes on identified terrorist positions and fleeing fighters.
Military authorities say follow-up operations are ongoing in the Forfor, Multe and Wajiroko areas to track down fleeing insurgents and prevent regrouping.
“These successful engagements further reinforce OPHK’s growing operational effectiveness and sustained dominance across the theatre,” Uba stated.
