By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
A coordinated overnight assault by insurgents on two military positions in Borno State has collapsed after troops of Operation Hadin Kai fought back with sustained firepower, killing fighters, forcing retreats into the Sambisa axis and stabilising defensive lines in one of the fiercest engagements recorded this year.
Military authorities said the attackers attempted near-simultaneous overruns of formations in Pulka and Mandaragirau late on February 14, 2026, a tactic analysts interpret as a test of troop readiness across the North-East theatre. Instead, the offensive exposed growing desperation among insurgent ranks under sustained military pressure.
According to operational details, a large column of suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters advanced from the Sambisa Forest corridor toward Sector 1 troops in Pulka under the cover of darkness.
The initial contact triggered an intense firefight.
A section of the defensive perimeter was briefly penetrated, damaging some combat support equipment and accommodation facilities. But the breach did not hold.
Rapid reinforcement from the 26 Brigade arrived with heavy firepower, reversing the assault and pushing the attackers into retreat toward the forest belt.
Intelligence gathered after the clash indicated heavy insurgent casualties, including the death of a senior field commander identified as Abou Aisha, reportedly shot in the neck during the exchange.
Crucially, military sources confirmed that no soldiers were killed during the Pulka engagement an outcome officials described as evidence of improved defensive coordination and preparedness.
Almost simultaneously, troops in Sector 2 at Mandaragirau came under a separate coordinated attack involving gun trucks and motorcycle-borne fighters.
Unlike Pulka, troops had anticipated the direction of approach and pre-positioned combat teams along likely entry routes.
The attackers ran into layered defensive fire and were halted before breaching the location.
The battle ended with insurgents withdrawing after sustaining losses.
However, several soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were killed while defending the position, and others were injured.
Air evacuation teams from the Air Component and Army Aviation units extracted the wounded for treatment, preventing further fatalities.
Follow-up exploitation patrols along the Kimba axis uncovered blood trails, shallow graves and abandoned equipment signs of hurried evacuation by retreating fighters.
Local sources also reported multiple casualty evacuations by insurgents toward interior hideouts, reinforcing military assessments of significant losses.
The military high command said the failed attacks demonstrate weakening operational capacity among insurgent groups attempting high-risk raids to regain initiative.
Officials added that troops maintained battlefield dominance across the theatre and will continue pressure operations aimed at dismantling remaining networks and securing communities.
For residents across the North-East, the message from the battlefield was stark: the conflict remains active, but attempts to retake territory are increasingly being repelled often at high cost to the attackers.
