Military strike kills ISWAP fighters, including foreigners, in Borno

Troops of the Nigerian Army under Sector 3 of Operation HADIN KAI have killed several suspected Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, fighters, including three foreigners, in a mortar bombardment targeting a terrorist enclave at Dumba, Borno State.

The development was disclosed by counterterrorism expert, Zagazola Makama, who shared details of the operation and an exclusive photograph of the terrorists’ position before the strikes.

According to security sources cited by Makama, the offensive operation was carried out on November 1, 2026, by a fire team comprising troops of the Nigerian Army’s Lake Chad Basin operations and the 403 Amphibious Brigade.

Military sources disclosed that troops initially observed that the terrorists had relocated northwards, beyond the effective range of their 60mm mortar weapons, forcing the soldiers to manoeuvre to a more favourable firing position.

One of the sources said, “At about 5:00 p.m., following extensive reconnaissance of the terrorist hideouts, troops located the fighters at a new position in Dumba, where some foreign fighters were sighted.”

The troops subsequently engaged the terrorists with 60mm mortar fire, recording effective hits on their position.

“Human intelligence sources later confirmed the impact of the bombardment, reporting that several terrorist casualties were evacuated from the area using wheelbarrows,” the source added.

Further intelligence indicated that three foreign fighters were among those killed in the bombardment.

The sources further disclosed that battle damage assessment and follow-on operations were ongoing to determine the full impact of the strikes and sustain pressure on the terrorist group.