Operation Hadin Kai Airstrikes Kill 38 Suspected Terrorists in Borno
About 38 suspected terrorists have reportedly been killed in a series of precision airstrikes conducted by Operation Hadin Kai in different locations across Borno State.
The operations were carried out between the night of Friday, August 21, and the early hours of Saturday, August 22, following intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities that detected movements of suspected terrorists.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, the first operation took place around Aduwa at about 10:23pm on Friday after an armed reconnaissance aircraft received intelligence on the movement of terrorist fighters and vehicles in the area.
The aircraft reportedly tracked the suspects to a settlement where a large number of fighters had gathered.
A precision strike was subsequently conducted on the larger concentration, with an initial battle damage assessment indicating that approximately 16 suspected terrorists were killed.
The operation continued after midnight when the aircraft reportedly tracked about 10 terrorists who had escaped the initial strike and regrouped near a tree.
Another precision strike was conducted against the group, with the assessment indicating that the 10 suspected terrorists were also neutralised.
Makama said the two strikes around Aduwa accounted for approximately 26 suspected terrorists.
In a separate operation around Buratai, another military aircraft reportedly detected about 12 suspected terrorists gathered inside a hut.
The location was struck at approximately 12:31am on Saturday after the necessary operational authorisation was obtained.
According to the report, the strike achieved a direct hit and was assessed to have killed all 12 suspected terrorists at the location.
The reported casualties from the two separate operations therefore brought the total number of suspected terrorists killed to approximately 38.
The latest airstrikes form part of ongoing military operations against terrorist networks operating across Nigeria’s North-East.
Operation Hadin Kai has continued to target terrorist leadership, logistics networks, fighting formations and the ability of insurgents to move and operate freely across the region.
Security sources cited in the report described the overall security situation as “calm but unpredictable”, while the morale and fighting efficiency of troops were said to remain satisfactory.
Makama said the latest operations were expected to further disrupt terrorist command-and-control structures and make it more difficult for insurgents to assemble large groups of fighters without being detected.
He said terrorist groups were increasingly being forced to abandon large gatherings and resort to smaller and more concealed movements.
“Concealment alone may no longer guarantee safety,” Makama said.
He further linked the development to a reported increase of more than 250 per cent in terrorist surrenders over the past month, suggesting that sustained military pressure may be affecting the ability of insurgent groups to operate openly.
The reported strikes come as Nigerian security forces continue efforts to weaken terrorist networks and restore stability across communities affected by insurgency in the North-East.
The figures cited in the report are preliminary battle-damage assessments, and official military confirmation of the reported casualty figures had not been included in the information available for this report.