Not less than thirty-eight terrorists were eliminated in the early hours of Saturday, March 28, 2026, when troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) foiled a terrorist attack on FOB Mandaragirau in Sector 2.
Naija News reports that ISWAP terrorists had launched an attack on the Army base, but met heavy resistance from the troops.
The troops engaged the attackers with well-coordinated ambushes, resulting in the death of about 38 terrorists and additional bodies and weapons strewn along the Garin Mallum–Garin Gajere axis into the Timbuktu Triangle.
A statement by the Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, Lt. Col Sani Uba, confirmed the development, adding that the troops recorded no fatalities.
He added that weapons, including 7 AK-47 rifles, 8 magazines, 4 RPG bombs and assorted ammunition, were recovered from the terrorists.
The statement read: “Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) in the early hours of Saturday, 28 March 2026 decisively defeated a halfhearted attack by ISWAP terrorists on FOB Mandaragirau in Sector 2.
“The troops engaged the attackers with well-coordinated ambushes and a deliberate offensive-defensive response that forced them into a disorderly withdrawal while the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI provided close air support to the troops and ISR feedbacks to enhance targeted kinetic responses.
“Subsequent exploitation along the terrorists’ withdrawal routes inflicted further heavy losses. A total of about 38 terrorists were neutralized with 8 bodies recovered so far within the immediate engagement area and human intelligence from locals confirming over 30 additional terrorists’ bodies and weapons strewn along Garin Mallum–Garin Gajere axis into the Timbuktu Triangle.
“This was evidenced by blood trails and abandoned equipment. Troops also recovered 7 AK-47 rifles, 8 magazines, 4 RPG bombs and assorted ammunition, while recording no fatalities; one MRAP was hit by RPG fire, with injured personnel promptly stabilized. The scale of enemy losses has triggered widespread jubilation among local communities and highlights the sustained dominance of OPHK troops in denying terrorists freedom of action.
“Further exploitation operations are ongoing along the Garin Mallum – Garin Gajere axis at the fringes of the Timbuktu Triangle to recover the littered terrorists’ corpses and consolidate gains,”