On the outskirts of Malam Fatori axis of Borno State, after the guns had fallen silent and the dust of battle settled, troops of Operation Hadin Kai stumbled on something unexpected — not just weapons or abandoned motorcycles, but a carefully kept “operational notebook” belonging to fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province.

It had everything: names of fighters, records of rifles issued, motorcycles signed out like company property, all neatly documented.

The names of fighters who took loans were written in the note.

The rampaging troops had recorded a major counter-terrorism breakthrough following the elimination of two top ISWAP commanders and 84 terrorist fighters in a coordinated decoy ambush operation in the Malam Fatori.

This came a day after multiple suicide bombing attacks in Maiduguri while some Muslims were breaking their Ramdan Fasting.

Military sources described the operation as one of the most successful recent offensives against insurgents, combining deception tactics, precision airstrikes, and ground assault to decisively neutralise the terrorists.

A decoy ambush Is a counterinsurgency strategy in which troops deliberately simulate vulnerability or retreat to lure enemy fighters into a designated kill zone, where concealed forces and pre-positioned air assets deliver a coordinated strike. (Based on reports by Zagazola and PRNigeria)