Troops Kill 18 Boko Haram Fighters in Sambisa Offensive, Recover Weapons

Troops Kill 18 Boko Haram Fighters in Sambisa Offensive, Recover Weapons

By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri

Troops of the Northeast Joint Task Force under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have killed at least 18 Boko Haram insurgents during coordinated operations in the Timbuktu–Bulabulin axis of Sambisa Forest spanning Borno and Yobe states.

The military said the offensive, led by troops of Sector 2, took place around Azir Bridge and the Bulabulin forest along the 85-kilometre Damboa–Biu road, where fighters were engaged in intense combat backed by air support.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the OPHK Media Information Officer, Sani Uba, said the operation—codenamed Operation Desert Sanity V—resulted in significant battlefield successes through two coordinated assaults.

He explained that troops, working closely with the Air Component Command, carried out simultaneous strikes in the Azir Bridge (Timbuktu axis) and Bulabulin forest areas, leading to heavy insurgent losses.

According to him, ground forces, alongside elements of the Stabilisation Force and the Civilian Joint Task Force, cleared several terrorist hideouts in Mar, Subdu, Yaro Lawanti, Yaro Shuwari and surrounding communities.

Uba added that troops made contact with insurgents at Malam Shiri village, where they executed a tactical flanking manoeuvre that led to the elimination of 11 fighters, while others escaped with injuries.

“Following the engagement, troops destroyed terrorist structures and recovered nine AK-47 rifles, three PKT machine guns, five motorcycles, ammunition and materials used for Improvised Explosive Devices,” he said.

In a related operation along the Wajiroko–Sabongari corridor in the Timbuktu axis, troops again confronted insurgents, killing seven more fighters after a sustained exchange.

Recovered items from the second encounter included rifles, RPG tubes, communication gadgets and a large cache of ammunition.

The military credited the success of both operations to strong coordination between ground troops and the Air Component Command, which provided intelligence, surveillance and precision strikes on identified targets.

Air operations, according to the statement, helped track fleeing insurgents and deliver accurate bombardments that weakened their positions and disrupted their movements.

Troops have since launched follow-up operations across the Forfor, Multe and Wajiroko areas to hunt down fleeing fighters and prevent regrouping.

The Military High Command commended the troops for their bravery and urged them to maintain pressure on insurgent groups to sustain security gains in the North-east.

The latest offensive underscores renewed efforts by Operation Hadin Kai to degrade terrorist capabilities and restore stability in the region.