Troops repel ISWAP attack on military positions in Damboa, Borno as insurgent offensive intensifies

Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, have successfully repelled a coordinated insurgent attack on military positions in the Damboa area of Borno State, as suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters continue to target military formations across the North-East in a renewed offensive.

The attack occurred in the early hours of March 13, 2026, when insurgents attempted to overrun troop positions at Azir Bridge in Sector 2, located in Damboa Local Government Area — a small but strategically significant community along the Maiduguri–Damboa–Biu Road, which has remained largely closed for years due to persistent insurgent activity.

Confirming the development in a statement, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North East, Sani Uba, said several insurgents were killed during the encounter while troops recovered arms and ammunition. No casualties were recorded among security personnel, according to the military’s account.

The Damboa attack was not an isolated incident. On the same night, insurgents also attempted to storm troop positions in Banki, Bama Local Government Area, which shares a border with Cameroon. Both attacks were repelled by troops.

The latest assault fits into a broader and deeply worrying pattern. Jihadi extremist groups including Boko Haram and ISWAP have intensified attacks against Nigerian military camps over the past week, killing senior officers and seizing weapons in a series of brazen raids. ISWAP has launched at least twelve coordinated attacks on military bases and infrastructure across Borno State since January 2025, exploiting systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s counterinsurgency posture — including underfunded and poorly fortified bases — to overrun positions and loot military assets.

Damboa has long been one of ISWAP’s most contested battlegrounds. The group’s territorial consolidation remains strongest in areas surrounding the town, and it has previously attempted to isolate Damboa entirely by detonating improvised explosive devices on bridges along the Biu–Damboa road to cut off military reinforcements.

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has warned that without adequate military protection, residents face almost daily kidnappings and attacks, and that Boko Haram has changed its operational strategy to include the use of drones for surveillance and attacks.

The Defence Minister, retired General Christopher Musa, has since ordered an emergency operational review, directing service chiefs to assess and strengthen counter-insurgency operations across affected theatres as the military comes under mounting pressure to contain the insurgency’s latest surge.