Air Force Strikes Terrorist Enclave in Borno, Neutralises Scores, Disrupts Planned Attacks

Air Force Strikes Terrorist Enclave in Borno, Neutralises Scores, Disrupts Planned Attacks

The Air Component of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), has successfully carried out a precision air strike on a major terrorist enclave and logistics hub near the abandoned village of Jilli in Gubio Local Government Area.

The operation, executed on April 11, 2026, followed sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Bindul–Jilli axis—an area long identified as a key movement corridor for Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters and their collaborators.

Military authorities said the strike was part of intensified operations in response to recent attacks, including an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) incident in January that claimed the lives of eight soldiers along the Gubio–Damasak route, and coordinated assaults on Ngamdu and Benisheik on April 9.

According to a statement by Sani Uba, Lieutenant Colonel and Media Information Officer of OPHK, surveillance missions on April 11 detected multiple suspicious movements, including motorcycles and gun trucks converging near Jilli. These movements were confirmed through credible human intelligence as terrorist elements assembling with logistics supplies.

Following a rigorous targeting process and confirmation from multiple intelligence sources, the Air Component launched a series of precision strikes on the identified location. Post-strike assessments indicated high accuracy, with the destruction of the logistics hub, several vehicles, and the neutralisation of scores of terrorists. Surviving elements were seen fleeing the area.

Further intelligence revealed that the neutralised group was in the final stages of receiving supplies for planned coordinated attacks on military positions within the Gubio axis.

In a related development, troops on April 12 arrested a suspected terrorist logistics courier identified as “Turja Bulu” in Ngamdu. Preliminary investigations linked him to the April 9 attack on a military formation in Benisheik. He reportedly confessed to being dispatched from Jilli to deliver food supplies to other terrorist groups operating within the Magumeri–Gubio area.

The military described the operation as a significant blow to terrorist logistics networks, noting that it has disrupted imminent attacks and degraded the operational capacity of insurgent elements in the region.

Authorities also reiterated the ban on motorcycle movements across the North-East operational theatre, particularly in Borno State and Yobe State, citing their continued use by terrorists for mobility and attacks.

Operation HADIN KAI assured residents that ongoing offensives will be sustained with renewed intensity until all enclaves are dismantled and lasting peace is restored across the region.

Air Force Strikes Terrorist Enclave in Borno, Neutralises Scores, Disrupts Planned Attacks