The troops of the North East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, have successfully repelled a coordinated attack on the Kukareta community in the Damaturu local government area of Yobe State, killing 24 terrorists and recovering 18 AK-47 rifles among other equipment.
In a statement made available to Channels Television by the Media Information Officer of the Theatre Command, Lt Col. Sani Uba, the incident happened in the last hours of Wednesday, April 23, 2026.
“Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), under Sector 2, in the early hours of 23 April 2026, successfully repelled a determined terrorist attack on the Kukareta location.
“The attack, which commenced shortly after midnight and lasted until about 0300 hours, was met with a swift and coordinated response by vigilant troops who executed a deliberate offensive-defensive action, effectively containing the assault and forcing the terrorists into a disorderly withdrawal,” the statement reads in part.
“During the engagement, troops inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with 24 terrorists neutralised so far.
“Ongoing exploitation of the battlefield has led to the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition, including 18 AK-47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), two PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, three RPG tubes, two mortar tubes, four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines, and large quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition for PKT systems.”
Uba explained that two personnel were wounded in action but have been stabilised, while one reinforcing armoured tank sustained damage with all tyres blown out during the engagement.
According to him, exploitation operations are ongoing to recover additional bodies and equipment along the terrorists’ withdrawal routes, littered with blood trails and medical consumables.
