On August 31, six terrorists were killed and one captured alive by Nigerian soldiers working with the Civilian Joint Task Force during a combat clearance operation in Borno State's northeast. According to reports, troops ambushed the militants as they traveled to Sambisa Forest along the Molai-Damboa Road with substantial amounts of supplies. The Borno state capital, Maiduguri, is around 10 kilometers away from the suburb of Molai.

According to Zagazola Makama, a security expert and counter-insurgency specialist in the Lake Chad region, "the forces successfully caught the terrorists, shooting six of them dead on the spot and arresting one alive while the others fled.Large quantities of the logistics, multiple bicycles, and AK-47 guns were found by the forces.