Troops of Sector 3 Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), supported by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), have recovered no fewer than 63 bodies of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists following a failed infiltration attack on Malam Fatori in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno.
Military sources told security analyst Zagazola Makama that the insurgents launched the attack in the early hours of Wednesday, March 17, 2026, advancing on foot and deploying armed drones in an attempt to overrun the 68 Battalion position.
The sources disclosed that the attack, which originated from the Duguri axis through the frontage of Bravo Company, was met with overwhelming resistance from troops, backed by precision air strikes.
According to the sources, the coordinated response led to a decisive defeat of the terrorists, who suffered heavy casualties during the engagement.
“Following the engagement and subsequent clearance operations, a total of 63 terrorist bodies were recovered within and around the general area of Malam Fatori, indicating the scale of losses inflicted on the insurgents,” a military source said.
He added that the Air Component conducted multiple interdiction missions, delivering accurate strikes on identified enemy concentrations, which significantly degraded their fighting capability.
“The synergy between air and ground forces ensured that the terrorists were fixed and neutralised in large numbers, forcing the remnants to withdraw in disarray towards the Arege axis,” he said.
