Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have killed 16 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province fighters. The military conducted coordinated air and artillery strikes on three locations in the Tunbunma area of South Lake Chad. The operation ran between 1am and 2am on Monday, 26 October 2026. It followed intelligence on the presence of key leaders and fighters.
ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016. It has become the dominant insurgent group in the Lake Chad Basin. The group controls territory across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. It attacks military bases, convoys and civilians. Operation Hadin Kai has conducted repeated offensives. In May 2026, troops repelled an ISWAP attack on the 120 Task Force Battalion in Gonori, Borno State. The group remains resilient. It recruits from displaced populations and exploits security gaps.
The Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni, issued a statement in Maiduguri. He said battle damage assessment confirmed 16 fighters were neutralised. Those killed included Abu Zubiru, described as an Arab national, and two associates, Baana Nglewa and Jindullah Sadiq. Abu Saleem, identified as the Wali of Tunbunma, was seriously wounded alongside seven others. The military said the operation was part of efforts to dismantle terrorist networks in the basin. It urged the public to provide timely information.
Winners: The military, which demonstrates capacity. Communities in the Lake Chad Basin, which gain temporary relief. The intelligence network, which produced the targeting. Losers: ISWAP, which loses fighters and a Wali. The 16 killed. The wounded. Civilians who remain at risk. The military, if the group regroups.
Bottom Line: Sixteen fighters killed. A Wali wounded. Three locations struck. The operation is a tactical win. The insurgency continues. ISWAP will regroup. The military must sustain the pressure.