Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, have killed several Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, including senior commanders, while repelling a major attack on their positions in Kukawa, Borno State. The Nigeria ISWAP attack was defeated on 31 October with support from the operation’s air component, according to the military.
The Acting Media Information Officer of the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Captain Mohammed Goni, said in a statement issued on Sunday that troops successfully repelled the attack with coordinated ground and air operations, according to reports. Among those killed were Abu Hajara, described as a high-profile member of ISWAP’s Shura Council; Abul Walid, a prominent commander and close associate of Ba Shuwa, the group’s overall Wali; and two senior Arab fighters, according to the statement as reported.
Troops recovered numerous weapons, ammunition and communication devices following the engagement, according to the military statement. The Theatre Command said the successful defence in Kukawa demonstrated the operational readiness, vigilance and superior firepower of troops under Operation HADIN KAI, according to reports.
A week of heavy fighting in the North-East
The Kukawa engagement came barely three days after troops reportedly neutralised 55 terrorists during a separate encounter in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, including key commanders identified as Ali Mandara Abba Gajiri, also known as Munzir, Habu Ikkima, Nakif Yana Faruk and Commander Gogore, according to reports. The back-to-back operations form part of intensified military efforts to weaken ISWAP’s leadership and operational capabilities, particularly around the Lake Chad Basin, where the group remains a major security threat, according to reports.
The military reaffirmed its commitment to protecting law-abiding residents and sustaining offensives aimed at dismantling terrorist networks and destroying their camps across the North-East, according to reports. Security analysts noted that the killing of a Shura Council member is significant because the council shapes the group’s strategy, though ISWAP has repeatedly replaced lost commanders in the past.
What the operation does not settle
Military statements describe enemy casualties; independent verification of battlefield claims in the North-East is often limited, and the figures in this report come from the military’s own statement as carried by multiple Nigerian outlets. What is not in doubt is that Kukawa, in Borno State near Lake Chad, remains a contested area, and that ISWAP continues to mount large-scale attacks on military positions despite sustained operations against it. The defeat of this attack is a tactical success for Operation HADIN KAI — but the group’s ability to launch another major assault within days, as it did at Buni Yadi, shows why the campaign in the North-East is far from over.
