The Nigerian Army and the Office of the National Security Adviser Tactical Team dismantled a Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province camp in the Kopre Mountain area of Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State, in the early hours of Wednesday, 26 August 2026, after troops of Operation Hadin Kai fought two separate encounters and killed more than 21 terrorists.
Acting Military Information Officer of Headquarters Joint Task Force North East, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the raid followed credible intelligence on terrorist activity in the rugged terrain. Captain Goni said surviving fighters fled with gunshot wounds after the second clash.
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Troops destroyed the camp’s logistics base and recovered several AK-47 rifles, magazines and a large quantity of 7.62mm ammunition. Motorcycles, bicycles and jerrycans of petrol were also burned on the spot.
Captain Goni said the operation formed part of a wider effort to find people abducted from the Mussa community and the Lassa area, both close to the Adamawa and Borno border.
“The Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, remains resolute in sustaining aggressive, intelligence-driven operations aimed at locating and rescuing abducted persons, dismantling terrorist strongholds, degrading their logistics and fighting capabilities,” Captain Goni said.
The military high command praised the soldiers and the ONSA Tactical Team for what it called gallantry, professionalism and close coordination in difficult ground.
Hong has remained under pressure throughout 2026. On 18 August suspected insurgents attacked Gaya-Dlang in the same local government area, killing seven civilians and a police inspector, according to Hong Local Government Chairman Dr Aliyu Saad Yerima and Adamawa Police spokesman Superintendent Suleiman Nguroje. Local officials said Hong has suffered several such raids this year.
The Mussa and Lassa abductions that the army linked to the latest sweep still weigh on families across southern Borno and northern Adamawa. Pupils were taken from Mussa on 15 May and students from Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, on 29 June.
Community representatives said dozens of children remain unaccounted for, and parents protested in Uba as recently as 21 August to demand a faster rescue.
Independent verification of battlefield casualty figures in the North East is rare, and the army’s count of more than 21 dead could not be separately confirmed.
What is clear is that Operation Hadin Kai continues to push into mountain camps while communities on the fringe of Sambisa Forest still face sudden attacks and unresolved kidnappings.
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Search and rescue work, Captain Goni said, will continue until the missing are found.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
