At least 26 Boko Haram fighters were killed and 10 motorcycles destroyed when troops of the 101 Special Forces Battalion repelled an attack on Kukawa in Borno State on Friday night.

The Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement issued in Maiduguri on Saturday.

Goni said the terrorists attacked the troops’ location in Kukawa at about 10:50pm on August 28, 2026, but were forced to withdraw towards the Cross Kauwa axis following a coordinated response.

“The terrorists attacked troops of 101 Special Forces Battalion in Kukawa at about 10:50 pm on 28 August 2026. Troops responded with direct and indirect fire, forcing the terrorists to withdraw towards the Cross Kauwa axis,” he said.

He said several terrorists were killed during the encounter, while others escaped with gunshot wounds, adding that troops later recovered some of the terrorists’ bodies during an exploitation of the area.

According to him, the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai was subsequently deployed to intercept the fleeing terrorists.

“Despite challenging weather conditions, the Air Component engaged terrorists taking cover under trees, killing an estimated 10 of them,” Goni said.

He added that Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance assets of the Multinational Joint Task Force tracked about 20 motorcycles conveying fleeing terrorists towards the Tunbuns/Kangarwa axis.

The intelligence enabled the Air Component to conduct a follow-up precision strike, which killed an additional 15 terrorists and destroyed 10 motorcycles, he said.

Goni further disclosed that troops conducting subsequent ground operations killed another terrorist and recovered two motorcycles, assorted ammunition and other logistics items.

He said the coordinated ground and air operations disrupted the attack, prevented the terrorists from regrouping and further weakened their mobility and fighting capability in the area.

The military spokesman added that troops were subsequently replenished by air with essential combat supplies to sustain the operation and maintain pressure on the terrorists.

On military casualties, Goni said four personnel sustained injuries during the engagement, but none was in life-threatening condition.

“Four personnel sustained injuries during the engagement but none was life-threatening. The wounded soldiers were evacuated by air for medical attention and are in stable condition,” he said.

He said troops had commenced reorganisation and extensive exploitation of the area, while battle damage assessment remained ongoing.

Goni described the successful defence of Kukawa as a demonstration of Operation Hadin Kai’s ability to integrate ground troops, air assets and intelligence capabilities in responding to terrorist threats.

He reaffirmed the military’s commitment to sustained offensive operations and intelligence-led surveillance aimed at degrading terrorist capabilities, denying them freedom of action and protecting communities across the North-East.