Troops of Sector 3 under Operation Hadin Kai, with support from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), have successfully repelled a coordinated attack by Boko Haram/ISWAP in Borno State, recovering the bodies of at least 63 insurgents after the encounter.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, March 17, 2026, when the terrorist group reportedly launched an infiltration attempt on a military position in Malam Fatori, located in Abadam Local Government Area.
According to military sources, the ISWAP insurgents advanced on foot from the Duguri axis through the frontage of Bravo Company, targeting the 68 Battalion.
The assault was said to have included the deployment of armed drones in a bid to overwhelm troops on the ground.
However, the offensive was met with strong resistance from Nigerian forces, bolstered by precision air strikes carried out by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai.
Security sources revealed that the combined ground and air response resulted in heavy losses for the insurgents, forcing surviving insurgents to retreat in disarray toward the Arege axis.
“Following the engagement and subsequent clearance operations, a total of 63 terrorist bodies were recovered within and around the general area of Malam Fatori, indicating the scale of losses inflicted on the insurgents,” a military source disclosed.
The source further noted that multiple interdiction missions conducted by the Nigerian Air Force played a critical role in neutralising the insurgents and significantly weakening their operational capability.
“The synergy between air and ground forces ensured that the terrorists were fixed and neutralised in large numbers,” the source added.
The military has not reported any casualties among its personnel as of the time of filing this report.
Operations in the area are ongoing, with troops maintaining heightened vigilance to prevent further attacks.
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