NAF Airstrikes Hit Boko Haram Enclaves in Mandara Mountains After Adamawa Massacre

Days after Boko Haram militants killed at least 29 people in two Adamawa communities, the Nigerian Air Force has struck back. The Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI conducted precision airstrike missions on April 28, 2026, targeting and destroying terrorist structures and enclaves deep in the Mandara Mountains of Adamawa State.

The NAF described the operation as a “precision air interdiction mission,” with the strikes aimed at Boko Haram and ISWAP positions along the Adamawa-Cameroon border axis — a rugged, mountainous stretch that insurgents have long used as a staging ground and hideout.

Direct Response to the Gombi Massacre

The timing is not coincidental. On April 26, Boko Haram militants massacred at least 29 people in the communities of Guyaku and Telabara in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State during a community football match, drawing immediate calls for military action. The airstrikes two days later are widely seen as a direct military response.

By targeting the Mandara Mountains — a known Boko Haram stronghold close to the Cameroon border — the Air Force moved quickly to degrade the capacity of the insurgent network responsible for the Gombi killings. The Adamawa-Cameroon border axis has been a persistent challenge; the mountainous terrain provides natural cover that makes ground operations difficult and air power often the most effective tool.

What Comes Next

The NAF Air Component spokesman confirmed the operation. Specific figures on insurgent casualties or infrastructure damage were not immediately released.

Operation HADIN KAI has been the umbrella for Nigeria’s counter-insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin for years. Residents of Adamawa and neighbouring Borno will be watching to see whether the strikes deliver a sustained reduction in militant activity — or whether reprisals follow, as has happened after previous military operations in the region.

Sources: Punch, PRNigeria, Times NG