The Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) has eliminated scores of terrorists in a precision airstrike on a major logistics hub and enclave in Borno State, the military announced on Sunday.
The strike, executed on 11 April 2026, targeted the abandoned village of Jilli in Gubio Local Government Area, an area long used as a convergence point for Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and their collaborators.
According to a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer for the Joint Task Force (North East), the operation followed sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Bindul–Jilli axis—a known terrorist movement corridor.
The mission was intensified following recent attacks. On 9 April, coordinated assaults were recorded in Ngamdu and Benisheik, supported by the same logistics network. Those attacks came just months after eight soldiers were killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) along the Gubio–Damasak road in January 2026.
On the day of the strike, surveillance platforms observed multiple gun trucks and motorcycles moving toward Jilli, with additional vehicles converging on the same location. Human intelligence sources corroborated the suspicious movements, confirming that the elements were terrorists, collaborators, and logistics handlers.
“Upon final validation, the Air Component executed a series of precision strikes on the objective, while surveillance platforms maintained continuous overwatch for real-time battle damage assessment,” Lieutenant Colonel Uba said.
Post-strike assessment confirmed the enclave was destroyed with high accuracy. Scores of terrorists were neutralized, and their vehicles and technicals were destroyed. Surviving elements were observed fleeing in multiple directions.
Intelligence indicates that the neutralized fighters were in the final stages of receiving logistics from couriers for coordinated attacks on troop locations within the Gubio axis.
In a related development on 12 April, a terrorist logistics courier identified as “Turja Bulu” was arrested at Ngamdu Town. During preliminary investigation, he confessed to participating in the 9 April attack at 29 Brigade location in Benisheik. He also revealed that he had been dispatched by ISWAP from Jilli—where many of his fellow terrorists were hibernating—to provide food items for another group of terrorists around the Magumeri-Gubio general area.
The Theatre Command reiterated that the use of motorcycles remains strictly prohibited across the North East operational theatre, particularly in Borno and Yobe States, due to their continued use by terrorists for movement, logistics, and attacks.
“Any such movements in restricted areas are therefore treated with the utmost seriousness in line with existing operational directives,” the statement read.
The Joint Task Force assured residents of the North East that operations will continue with renewed intensity until all terrorist enclaves are dismantled and lasting peace is restored to the region.
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