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Photo credit: SANI UBA Lieutenant Colonel Media Information Officer Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI 23 April 2026

Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) under Operation HADIN KAI have successfully repelled a coordinated terrorist attack on Kukareta in Yobe State, in what Nigerian military authorities described as a sustained overnight engagement that ended with heavy losses for the assailants and the recovery of a substantial cache of weapons. According to the official account attributed to the Theatre Command’s Media Information Officer, the attack began shortly after midnight on 23 April 2026 and continued until approximately 0300 hours, when the attackers were forced into retreat under concentrated defensive fire. Nigerian media outlets, citing the same military statement, reported that 24 terrorists were neutralised during the clash.

The engagement took place at Kukareta, in the Damaturu area of Yobe State, where troops under Sector 2 mounted what the military described as a deliberate offensive-defensive response. The swift reaction reportedly prevented the attackers from overrunning the position and forced them into what officials called a disorderly withdrawal. Battlefield exploitation operations were said to be ongoing after the fighting, with troops pursuing the attackers’ withdrawal routes and searching for additional bodies and abandoned matériel.

Among the weapons and equipment reportedly recovered were 18 AK-47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Guns, two PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, three RPG tubes, two mortar tubes, four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines and quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition. The military also stated that two personnel were wounded in action and have since been stabilised, while one reinforcing armoured vehicle sustained damage during the battle, with all tyres reportedly blown out.

The incident underscores the continuing intensity of counterterrorism operations in northeastern Nigeria, where Operation HADIN KAI remains engaged in efforts to deny insurgent groups freedom of movement and operational space. Nigerian authorities said follow-on operations would continue in order to consolidate gains from the Kukareta engagement and maintain pressure on terrorist elements across the joint operations area.