The Nigerian troops have killed a top ISWAP commander and disrupt terrorist operations in a major Sambisa Forest offensive.
According to the statement by the Media Information Officer of the Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, under the Operation Hadin Kai, have recorded a major operational breakthrough with the killing of a senior Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) leader, Abu Khalid, identified as the group’s second-in-command, alongside 10 other terrorists in the Sambisa Forest in northern Borno State of Nigeria.
The statement explained that the success of the engagement, which occurred around 11:00 p.m. in the Komala general area of Konduga Local Government Area, followed a coordinated night operation conducted by troops of Sector 1 in collaboration with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) under Operation Desert Sanity.
It added that Abu Khalid was a high-value target within the ISWAP hierarchy, responsible for coordinating operations and logistics across the Sambisa axis.
His elimination, according to the statement, represents a significant disruption to the group’s command and control structure.
It noted that the operation came barely 24 hours after Nigerian troops neutralised another notorious ISWAP commander, Julaibib, during a separate encounter in the Gujba axis of the Timbuktu Triangle. Military intelligence assessments indicate that the successive losses have thrown terrorist elements in the area into disarray.
Following the Sambisa engagement, troops recovered five AK-47 rifles, magazines, bicycles, assorted logistics and food items, as well as a large cache of medical supplies. No casualties were recorded among the troops.
The Joint Task Force stated that troops’ morale remains high as clearance operations continue across the Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountains, Timbuktu Triangle and other known terrorist enclaves in the North-East of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in related operations, the OPHK troops also recorded additional successes across the theatre. On 30 January 2026, troops eliminated ISWAP commander Julaibib during a fierce firefight around Kimba in Damboa Local Government Area, with intelligence indicating further terrorist casualties.
Similarly, troops working with the CJTF neutralised three terrorists during an ambush between Ngazalgana and Lamusheri communities, recovering two AK-47 rifles, while surviving insurgents fled with gunshot wounds.
Another ambush at Tsokorok in Gwoza Local Government Area forced Boko Haram and ISWAP elements to retreat, leaving one insurgent neutralised and two motorcycles recovered.
GIK/APA