48 ISWAP fighters killed overnight. Dozens of rifles, machine guns and even a mortar were recovered. And it all happened in two towns many Nigerians know too well - Bitta in Borno and Buni Yadi in Yobe.

Here’s what actually went down.

So, according to a statement from the North East Operation Hadin Kai, reported first by cbinews.tv, troops fought off two coordinated ISWAP assaults on the night of 29th October into the early hours of 30th October.

The first attack was in Bitta, Gwoza LGA in Borno. The Army says ground troops with air support repelled it and completely overwhelmed the attackers.

Almost at the same time, a much bigger ISWAP force hit NETTS in Buni Yadi, Gujba LGA in Yobe. That battle lasted about five hours, coordinated by Theatre Command using ISTAR - that’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance tech - plus air and ground assets.

By morning, 48 terrorists were dead.

And the haul? It’s significant: 42 AK-47s, five PKT machine guns, four GPMGs, one 60mm mortar, 105 AK magazines, two video cameras - ISWAP often uses those for propaganda - and over 5,000 rounds of assorted ammunition.

But this wasn’t without cost. One soldier paid the ultimate price, and two others sustained minor injuries. They’re receiving treatment. The military says troops remain in high spirits, but let’s not forget - behind every operation are young men and women holding the line.

Bitta and Buni Yadi are not random villages. Gwoza was once declared a Boko Haram caliphate in 2014. Buni Yadi suffered one of the worst school massacres in 2014 when 59 students of Federal Government College were killed. When ISWAP tries to return to these areas, it’s trying to reclaim symbolic ground.

Quick background: Operation Hadin Kai replaced Operation Lafiya Dole in 2021 to reset the strategy against both Boko Haram and ISWAP, which split from Boko Haram in 2016. ISWAP is now considered the more sophisticated, better-armed faction - hence the PKTs, GPMGs and armour-piercing rounds recovered.

The North-East has seen a surge in ISWAP attempts to overrun super camps and training schools like NETTS in recent months, especially ahead of the dry season when movement is easier.

The Army says clearance operations are continuing across the North-East. Expect more air interdictions and cordon-and-search operations in the Gwoza-Mandara hills axis and the Gujba corridor in the coming days.

For residents, the advice remains: report suspicious movements and avoid night travel on the Damaturu-Buni Yadi-Biu road for now.

We’ll keep tracking it for you here at cbinews.tv.

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