The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced that its aircraft under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) neutralised more than 35 terrorists in targeted airstrikes as part of intensified efforts to deny insurgents freedom of action in the North East.
Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, said in a statement on Saturday that the operation was carried out in the early hours of Friday, 23 August 2025, after credible intelligence revealed that terrorists had gathered near the Nigeria–Cameroon border in preparation for an attack on military positions.
According to him, the insurgents had converged at four different assembly points around Kumshe, Borno State, close to the international border, when NAF aircraft were scrambled for interdiction.
“In a precision air interdiction carried out in the early hours of 23 August 2025, the NAF neutralised more than 35 terrorists who had converged near the Nigeria–Cameroon border following an attempted attack on ground troops at Kumshe.
“Acting on multiple intelligence from several sources, the Air Component executed precision strikes in successive passes, engaging the terrorists and neutralising more than 35 fighters at four identified assembly areas,” the statement read.
It added that after the strikes, communication was re-established with ground troops, who confirmed that the area had been stabilised and that no further threats were imminent.
The Force emphasised that the operation underscored the military’s commitment to sustaining pressure on terrorist groups by disrupting their logistics, mobility, and safe havens along the border regions.
Hasan Bala Abubakar, Chief of the Air Staff, lauded the professionalism of the aircrew, stressing that the NAF would continue to sustain aggressive, intelligence-driven air operations in support of ground forces until terrorist elements threatening Nigeria’s sovereignty were fully degraded.