Operation HADIN KAI says troops killed several ISWAP fighters, including a Shura Council member and senior commander, while repelling an attack in Kukawa, Borno State.

Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, say they killed several fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including a Shura Council member and a senior commander, while repelling an attack on their positions in Kukawa, Borno State.

The military gave the date of the engagement as 31 October. Acting Media Information Officer Captain Mohammed Goni announced it in a statement on X on Sunday.

What the military says about the ISWAP Kukawa attack

“Combined troops deployed in Kukawa defeated a large-scale ISWAP assault using both ground forces and air support from the operation’s air component,” the statement said.

“Among those neutralised 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 overall Wali of ISWAP; and two high-ranking Arab fighters. Several other terrorists were also killed in the fighting,” it added.

The military said troops recovered scores of arms, ammunition and communication devices. It did not give a total for the number of fighters killed in Kukawa.

It said the attack came barely three days after an earlier engagement at Buni Yadi, in Yobe State. There, it said, 55 fighters were killed, including commanders it named as Ali Mandara Abba Gajiri (also known as Munzir), Habu Ikkima Nakif Yana Faruk and Commander Gogore. The command said the outcome showed the combat readiness and superior firepower of its troops. It pledged to keep protecting civilians and to continue operations against the insurgents.

ISWAP Kukawa attack: what remains unverified

The identities of those killed, and the roles attributed to them, come only from the military. I found no independent confirmation and no response from ISWAP. The statement, as reported, did not say whether any soldiers were killed or wounded in Kukawa.

Kukawa has been a target before. Earlier in October the military said troops of the 101 Special Forces Battalion repelled a four-pronged assault there and killed more than 25 fighters. It acknowledged that some soldiers died in that encounter.

The killing of senior commanders comes amid a campaign against insurgents in the North-East, particularly around the Lake Chad Basin. ISWAP remains one of the region’s main security threats despite years of offensives and the loss of commanders.