The Nigerian Army has confirmed the killing of a senior terrorist commander, Mohammed Khalifa, and the surrender of two high-ranking commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province, identified as Ismail Mohammed and Abu Umar, to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State.
The Acting Media Information Officer of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt Col Haruna Sani, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to Sani, the two commanders surrendered to troops on June 8, 2026.
He said they occupied strategic positions within the terrorist hierarchy and operated in the Mangari axis of the Lake Chad region.
The statement said, “Operation Hadin Kai has recorded another significant success in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign following the surrender of two high-profile Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders to troops on 8 June 2026.
“The surrendered terrorists, identified as Ismail Mohammed and Abu Umar, are currently in military custody and undergoing appropriate profiling and debriefing procedures.”
Sani said one of the surrendered commanders, Ismail Mohammed, was a close associate of senior ISWAP leader Baa Shuwa and possessed extensive knowledge of the group’s command structure and operations.
“The second individual, Abu Umar, was widely known within the terrorist network as a skilled explosives specialist with responsibilities linked to the fabrication and maintenance of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and other combat-support equipment used by the terrorists,” he added.
