Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
The Headquarters, Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), has said troops have eliminated Abu Salim al-Barnawi, described as a senior Boko Haram/ISWAP operative and head of the terrorist group’s mobile media team, during a failed attack on a military position in Borno State.
According to the Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, the terrorist was killed alongside other members of the group’s media unit, including Abu Umar Khattab and Abu Khalid Usman, during the failed infiltration of troops’ position at Cross Kauwa on July 12, 2026.
Goni said intelligence reports indicated that Abu Salim, who previously led cross-border attacks into Cameroon, was later redeployed to the terrorist group’s media wing, where he coordinated the production of propaganda materials, including photographs and videos of attacks aimed at recruitment and spreading extremist ideology.
He noted that the terrorist organisation had since acknowledged Abu Salim’s death by publishing an obituary, which he said confirmed the significant losses suffered by the group in recent military operations.
The military spokesman disclosed that troops also recovered a video camera during the operation, corroborating an earlier statement issued by Operation Hadin Kai.
According to him, the failed attack resulted in heavy casualties among the terrorists, including the killing of a Syrian national and a commander identified as Aliyu Zabarmari, while another foreign mercenary remains unaccounted for. Several other fighters were also said to have sustained injuries while fleeing the battlefield.
Goni said the operation had further weakened the insurgents’ operational and propaganda capabilities, adding that the sustained offensive against Boko Haram and ISWAP was disrupting the group’s command structure and reducing its ability to recruit and coordinate attacks.
”The publication of an obituary by the terrorist group is a clear indication of the pressure being mounted on its leadership and the increasing difficulty in replacing experienced operatives eliminated during military operations,” he said.
He reaffirmed that Operation Hadin Kai would sustain intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling the remaining terrorist networks, destroying their logistics and propaganda structures, and restoring lasting peace across the North-East.
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