Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have killed a top Islamic State West Africa Province commander, Abu Umar Bundi Munzir, and captured at least one insurgent fighter alive following a foiled coordinated attack on Kukareta community in Borno State. The Theatre Commander of North East Operation Hadin Kai, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, disclosed this on Thursday in Maiduguri while providing a situational update on the failed assault.
The insurgents launched the attack in the early hours of Thursday, shortly after midnight, in an attempt to overrun the location. However, troops of Sector 2 mounted a decisive engagement in a sustained counter-offensive that lasted until about 3:00 a.m., forcing the attackers into a disorganized withdrawal . Maj.-Gen. Abubakar confirmed that during the encounter, the terrorists’ commander, Abu Umar Bundi Munzir, was among those neutralised, bringing the total number of insurgents killed to 25.
The Theatre Commander also confirmed that a total of 24 other terrorists were killed alongside the commander. “The terrorists attempted to overrun the location but were decisively engaged and forced into a disorganised withdrawal,” Maj.-Gen. Abubakar said . He added that troops subsequently conducted exploitation of the battlefield, leading to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition.
Items recovered included 18 AK-47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Guns, two PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, three RPG tubes, two mortar tubes, four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines, and large quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition . The military also confirmed that one ISWAP fighter was captured alive during the operation.
According to Maj.-Gen. Abubakar, two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds during the firefight and have since been stabilised, while an armoured reinforcement vehicle had its tyres damaged during the encounter. He further noted that follow-up exploitation operations are ongoing to recover the bodies of fleeing terrorists and abandoned equipment along withdrawal routes, which are reportedly marked by blood trails and medical items.
The Theatre Commander described the operation as a significant success in ongoing counter-insurgency efforts. “Sustained pressure would be maintained to deny terrorist elements freedom of action in the North-East theatre,” he stated . Nigeria has faced a prolonged insurgency in its northeast for over a decade, largely driven by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and its splinter faction, ISWAP, with the conflict leading to tens of thousands of deaths and displacing millions, particularly in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
