The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has successfully neutralised more than 40 terrorists in coordinated air operations in Borno State, the Air Force said on Sunday in a statement released in Abuja. The precision airstrikes, conducted on January 15 and 16, 2026, were aimed at disrupting planned attacks and degrading insurgent capabilities in the North-East.

According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information for the NAF, the operations were executed by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI following credible, actionable intelligence and in close coordination with ground troops already engaged with hostile elements.

At Azir:

Ejodame said that in the early hours of January 16, NAF aircraft received a distress call from troops engaged with withdrawing terrorists in the Azir area of Damboa Local Government Area. Upon arrival, aerial surveillance identified insurgents attempting to regroup and seek cover under tree lines.

The NAF aircraft promptly engaged the targets in successive, well-coordinated passes, neutralising several terrorists. A post-strike assessment confirmed no further threats in the vicinity, and reports from ground troops and local authorities indicated a significant reduction in insurgent presence and a return to relative calm.

At Musarram:

Earlier on January 15, NAF air assets carried out a separate air interdiction mission at Musarram in the Tumbuns general area after intelligence revealed that terrorists were assembling on canoes to launch attacks along the Baga and Fish Dam axis. On arrival, the aircraft spotted about 10 canoes and over 40 suspected terrorists, who were immediately engaged.

The aerial strikes threw the insurgents into disarray, with some fleeing elements tracked and neutralised, while others who regrouped at a nearby assembly point were also engaged, effectively dismantling the concentration of fighters.

Reacting to the successful missions, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, the Chief of the Air Staff, reaffirmed the NAF’s commitment to providing timely and decisive air support to ground forces operating in the North-East.

He said the operations demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-led air power and close air–ground coordination in denying terrorists freedom of movement and degrading their operational capabilities. Aneke assured Nigerians that the Armed Forces would sustain pressure on terrorist elements until their capabilities are significantly weakened and stability restored to affected areas.

The airstrikes targeted areas in Damboa Local Government Area, which have been long-standing hotspots of insecurity linked to Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), where repeated insurgent attacks against both military formations and civilian communities have been reported in recent years.