Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have killed an ISWAP cameraman and inflicted heavy casualties on terrorists during a failed infiltration attempt in Borno State, the military has said.
The troops also recovered a Sony camcorder containing operational footage and propaganda materials, which the military said provided intelligence on the activities of foreign collaborators linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In a statement on Sunday, Acting Military Information Officer of the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, Mohammed Goni, said troops successfully repelled an attempted attack on their location at Cross Kauwa, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
Goni said the attack occurred at about 10:20 p.m. on July 11, 2026, when ISWAP fighters attempted to infiltrate the troops’ position under the cover of darkness.
He said the troops detected the movement early and responded with coordinated firepower, forcing the terrorists to retreat in disarray after suffering heavy losses.
“The terrorists abandoned their mission of looting cholera medical supplies and withdrew in confusion after suffering severe losses,” Goni said.
According to him, the recovery of the camcorder from the body of the slain ISWAP cameraman provided crucial intelligence on the group’s operations.
He said preliminary forensic analysis of the last video recorded before the attack indicated that the operation was coordinated by four senior ISWAP commanders, known as Qai’ds, alongside three foreign terrorist facilitators.
The facilitators were identified as a Palestinian Arab, Abu Ishaq, who was assessed to be ISWAP’s overall trainer; a Moroccan Arab, Abu Thaiba, a medical doctor within the group; and another Arab operative whose identity remains unknown.
“The presence and active involvement of these foreign nationals further reinforces intelligence assessments that ISWAP continues to benefit from external support, specialist expertise and transnational terrorist linkages,” Goni said.
He added that troops recovered several rounds of PKT and 7.62mm special ammunition, terrorist uniforms, and other combat equipment during exploitation operations.
Goni said satellite imagery analysis showed terrorists evacuating the bodies of some of their fighters during the withdrawal, a claim he said was corroborated by intelligence sources who confirmed that the group suffered heavy casualties.
Two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter and were evacuated by air for advanced medical treatment. Both personnel are reportedly in stable condition.
The military described the failed infiltration attempt as another setback for ISWAP, following sustained operations aimed at weakening terrorist activities across the North-East theatre.
