 neutralized scores of terrorists in coordinated New Year airstrikes across the Timbuktu Triangle and Katsina, destroying IED hubs and logistics.){kind=link}
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has launched a high-intensity air campaign to kickstart 2026, delivering a “decisive blow” to insurgent groups across the country’s northern corridors.
Between January 1 and 3, joint task forces under Operations HADIN KAI and FASAN YAMMA executed a series of synchronized, intelligence-led strikes targeting hidden assembly points and logistics hubs.
In a statement released Saturday, NAF spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame confirmed that precision strikes targeted the Abirma and Chiralia enclaves within the notorious Timbuktu Triangle.
The operation followed days of persistent surveillance which identified active Improvised Explosive Device (IED) manufacturing plants.
“The strikes resulted in the complete destruction of targeted structures, with multiple secondary explosions observed—clear indicators of the elimination of explosive stockpiles,” Ejodame stated. Additional raids in the Mandara Mountains (Guva) successfully dismantled storage nodes, cutting off the terrorists’ ability to resupply or regroup for post-festive season attacks.
Simultaneously, air assets in the North-West intercepted a large terrorist convoy traveling via motorcycles in the Karaduwa Giginya Naarea of Katsina State.
The NAF tracked the insurgents to a forested convergence point before engaging. Post-strike assessments confirmed the “neutralization of several terrorists” and the total destruction of their motorized fleet and weaponry.
Addressing a separate operational incident, Air Commodore Ejodame confirmed that the NAF has successfully recovered an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that went missing on January 2.
The drone, deployed under Operation FASAN YAMMA Sector 3, lost its communication link during a routine mission. Following standard emergency “return-to-base” protocols and a coordinated search with sister services, the platform was secured by technical teams.
“There has been no loss of life, and operational activities across all theatres continue uninterrupted,” the spokesperson reassured, emphasizing that preliminary evaluations of the aircraft are already underway.
The NAF maintains that these sustained strikes underscore its unwavering resolve to dismantle terrorist networks systematically and secure Nigerian airspace heading into the new year.