Troops repel ISWAP attacks in Borno, with 48 fighters reportedly killed during coordinated air and ground operations in Yadi and Bitta

Nigerian troops under Operation Hadin Kai have repelled attacks by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province fighters on military positions in Yadi and Bitta communities in Borno State, with a military source reporting that 48 insurgents were killed during the counter-offensive.

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The attacks took place on the night of Thursday, October 29, 2026, and were met with coordinated air and ground operations involving troops of the Joint Task Force.

According to a military source cited by Channels Television, the first assault targeted Yadi at about 9pm and continued until approximately 1am on Friday.

The source said the Theatre Command coordinated a counter-operation lasting about five hours, deploying intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets alongside air and ground forces to repel the attackers.

Forty-eight suspected terrorists were reportedly neutralised during the operation, while troops recovered several weapons and ammunition.

The military source also disclosed that ISWAP fighters launched another attack on troops stationed in Bitta, a community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, on the same night.

The combined air and ground forces reportedly defeated the attackers, preventing them from overrunning the military position.

Troops were said to have continued operations in the surrounding area to exploit the gains made during the engagement.

The reported attacks underscore the continuing security challenges facing communities and military formations in Borno, a state that has remained at the centre of Nigeria’s prolonged insurgency in the North-East.

Operation Hadin Kai is the military’s campaign against insurgent groups operating in the region, particularly Boko Haram and ISWAP. Its operations include ground offensives, air support, intelligence gathering and efforts to disrupt insurgent movements.

Although the reported outcome represents a tactical success for the military, the figures on casualties and recovered weapons remain based on the account of the unnamed military source cited in the report.

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