By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Nigeria’s counter-insurgency campaign in the North-East recorded a decisive inflection point on January 22, 2026, as troops of Operation HADIN KAI delivered a crushing blow to Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters across the Sambisa Forest–Mandara Mountains corridor, neutralising senior commanders, dismantling combat assets and foiling multiple infiltration attempts.
Operating under Operation DESERT SANITY V, forces of the Joint Task Force (North East) came under a coordinated terrorist ambush involving roadside improvised explosive devices (RSIEDs) and heavy gunfire.
What followed, military sources say, was a rapid and overwhelming counter-response that turned the attackers’ carefully laid trap into a battlefield rout.
Troops of Sector 1 responded with superior firepower and manoeuvre, breaking the ambush and neutralising 10 terrorists, including two senior commanders identified as Basulhu and Ubaida, a development security analysts describe as a significant disruption to command and control structures within the terror network.
A follow-up pursuit and exploitation operation deepened the impact.
Troops recovered an extensive cache of weapons, mobility assets and explosive-making materials, including three AK-47 rifles, a pump-action rifle, five motorcycles, two hand grenades, two Baofeng radios, 12 AK-47 magazines, a rocket-propelled grenade charger, detonation cords, batteries, bandoliers, camel bags, iron bars and multiple IED components.
The success was not isolated.
On a separate offensive axis around the Malkube area, Sector 1 troops again made contact with fleeing insurgents, recovering additional AK-47 rifles, ammunition and communication equipment, while two terrorists were neutralised without any casualties on the government side.
Earlier the same day, another Sector 1 Battle Group intercepted BH/ISWAP elements attempting to infiltrate Nigeria from Cameroon near Galakura.
The troops forced the insurgents to withdraw in disarray, exploiting the area and recovering supplies and two motorcycles, further constraining the terrorist movement and logistics along the border corridor.
Military officials say the coordinated engagements underscore a sustained shift in operational momentum, with troops increasingly denying terrorists freedom of action across traditional strongholds.
“Morale and combat efficiency remain high,” a senior officer said, noting that operations would be sustained across the entire North-East theatre to consolidate recent gains and prevent regrouping.
The Military High Command has commended the troops for their gallantry and precision, urging commanders to maintain the operational tempo as pressure mounts on remaining terrorist enclaves.
As Nigeria’s armed forces tighten the vice on insurgent networks, the latest operations signal a clear intent: to dismantle leadership, cripple logistics and steadily reclaim territory long exploited by terror groups.
