ISWAP suffers heavy losses in Malam Fatori, death toll rises to 75
2026-03-18 - 15:52
By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri The death toll of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters neutralised during a failed attack on Nigerian troops in Malam Fatori, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State, has risen to 75, military sources have confirmed. Initial reports had placed the casualties at 61, following a coordinated response by troops of Operation Hadin Kai, supported by the Nigerian Air Force. Updated assessments and mop-up operations now indicate that at least 75 insurgents were killed, with several others escaping with severe injuries. The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, involved ISWAP fighters advancing on foot toward the 68 Battalion location, reportedly deploying armed drones in an attempt to breach defensive lines. The infiltration, launched from the Duguri axis toward the Bravo Company frontage, was swiftly detected and repelled. Military sources attributed the success of the operation to superior coordination between air and ground forces, highlighting the growing effectiveness of joint-force strategies in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East. Four precision air interdiction strikes were conducted on identified terrorist withdrawal routes, degrading their combat capability and forcing a chaotic retreat toward the Arege axis. Allied air assets from the Niger Republic also intervened, carrying out additional strikes on fleeing fighters. Security sources say the combined firepower significantly contributed to the high casualty figures. Troops reportedly recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from the battlefield, further weakening ISWAP’s operational capacity in the Lake Chad region. On the side of government forces, a credible military source confirmed that four soldiers sustained minor injuries and have since been stabilised. The successful repulsion of the attack underscores the growing effectiveness of coordinated air-ground operations in countering insurgent threats in Borno and surrounding areas.