Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) successfully repelled coordinated terrorist attacks in Limankara and Kukawa, Borno State, according to a statement on Sunday by Lt. Col. Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of the Theatre Command.
Troops of Sector 2, operating under Operation DESERT SANITY V, conducted a precision mission on February 22, 2026, around Lamusheri Village in Gujba Local Government Area, identified as a key terrorist logistics hub. During the operation, 15 terrorists were neutralised, and scores fled with gunshot injuries. Defensive structures, vehicles, and tricycles used by the insurgents were destroyed, while arms, ammunition, and other equipment were recovered.
Uba reported that terrorists also attempted to infiltrate the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Limankara but were repelled by alert troops supported by rapid reinforcement and air operations. The attackers fled in disarray through the burial ground axis.
In a related incident at about 11:20 pm, terrorists on motorcycles and gun trucks launched a multi-pronged assault on troops in Kukawa from the Alagarno and Jemmu axes. Troops engaged the attackers in intense firefights that extended into the early hours of February 21, 2026. Superior ground fire and air support forced the insurgents to withdraw, leaving casualties behind.
Precision airstrikes destroyed one terrorist gun truck, killing four fighters, and later targeted five fleeing motorcycles, neutralising an additional ten insurgents. Following the strikes, troops recovered 13 AK-47 rifles, 16 loaded magazines, three handheld radios, stretchers used by the terrorists, shallow graves, and blood trails.
Regrettably, one soldier was killed in action, and some combat equipment was lost to rocket fire. Wounded personnel were promptly evacuated by Nigerian Army Aviation helicopters and are reported to be in stable condition.
