Air Strikes Rock Borno: Military Destroys ISWAP Logistics Base, Dozens Killed in Jilli Raid
By Passman Akpos
The Air Component of the Joint Task Force (North East), under Operation HADIN KAI, has carried out a decisive precision air strike on a major terrorist logistics hub in Jilli, Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State, dealing a significant blow to insurgent operations in the region.
The operation, executed on April 11, 2026, followed weeks of sustained Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Bindul–Jilli corridor—an area long identified by military authorities as a strategic movement route and convergence point for fighters linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Military sources disclosed that the strike was triggered by real-time intelligence reports indicating coordinated movements of terrorist gun trucks and motorcycles heading towards the enclave. Surveillance assets tracked the movements, which were later confirmed by human intelligence as a gathering of insurgents, logistics handlers, and collaborators preparing for imminent operations.
After a rigorous targeting process to ensure accuracy, the Air Component launched a series of precision strikes on the location, maintaining aerial overwatch to assess the impact. Post-strike analysis revealed that the logistics base was destroyed with high accuracy, with scores of fighters neutralised and several vehicles, including technicals, obliterated. Surviving insurgents were seen fleeing the area in disarray.
The military linked the targeted network to recent deadly attacks in the region, including the January 2026 improvised explosive device (IED) attack along the Gubio–Damasak road that claimed the lives of eight soldiers. The same logistics chain was also reportedly responsible for coordinated assaults in Ngamdu and Benisheik on April 9.
In a related development, troops arrested a suspected logistics courier identified as “Turja Bulu” in Ngamdu on April 12. During preliminary interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to participating in the Benisheik attack and revealed he had been dispatched from Jilli to deliver supplies to other terrorist cells operating within the Magumeri–Gubio axis.
Military authorities said the latest strike has effectively disrupted planned attacks on troop formations and significantly weakened the operational capacity of insurgents in the theatre.Operation HADIN KAI reiterated its commitment to sustaining relentless pressure on terrorist groups, dismantling their supply networks, and restoring peace across the North East. The command also reaffirmed the ongoing ban on motorcycle movements across Borno and Yobe states, citing their continued use by insurgents for mobility and logistics.
“The Armed Forces remain resolute in denying terrorists freedom of movement and operational capability,” the statement noted, assuring residents that intensified operations will continue until all enclaves are eliminated and stability is fully restored.
