Troops of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), under Operation Desert Sanity V, have neutralised two Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders and eight other terrorists in the Sambisa Forest and Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

According to the Nigerian Army, the troops also recovered rifles and ammunition in the forest and mountainous areas of the state.

The OPHK Media Information Officer, Lt-Col. Sani Uba, disclosed this on Friday via a statement in Maiduguri: “The ground troops launched a decisive blow against Boko Haram and ISWAP on 22nd January 2026 during the three-hour operations in the mountains and forest of Borno State.”

The Lieutenant Colonel added that the terrorists had attempted a well-planned ambush using roadside improvised explosive devices (RSIEDs) and heavy gunfire. Troops of Sector 1 responded with superior firepower, neutralising ten terrorists, including two of their commanders.

He said the neutralised commanders were identified as Basulhu (no reconciliations) and Ubaida.
He added that the recovered arms, ammunition, and other logistics from the insurgents included three AK-47 rifles, a pump-action rifle, five motorcycles, two hand grenades, two Baofeng radios, 12 AK-47 magazines, a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) charger, detonation cords, batteries, bandoliers, camel bags, as well as iron bars and improvised explosive device (IED) accessories.

In a separate offensive operation, troops of Sector 1, OPHK, made contact in the Malkube area, recovering additional AK-47 rifles, ammunition, and communication devices.
Lt-Col. Uba said two terrorists were killed without sustaining any casualties among the troops.

Beyond the neutralisation of insurgents, he said: “Earlier in the day, another battle group of troops from Sector 1 engaged Boko Haram/ISWAP elements attempting to infiltrate from Cameroon near Galakura village into Nigeria.” He stated that the troops forced the terrorists to withdraw in disarray.

He further added: “Troops’ exploitation of the area also yielded recoveries of insurgents’ equipment and supplies, including two motorcycles,” noting that the offensive operations aimed to deny the terrorists freedom of action in both the Lake Chad region and the forest.