NAF Kills Nine ISWAP Fighters, Senior Commander in Borno Airstrike

NAF Kills Nine ISWAP Fighters, Senior Commander in Borno Airstrike

The Nigerian Air Force has killed nine Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, including a senior commander, in an airstrike on a terrorist hideout in Borno State.

The operation, conducted on Saturday in the Sambisa Forest, followed intelligence reports indicating the movement of suspected insurgents in the area.

The NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.

He said the military first deployed a remotely piloted aircraft to monitor the suspected fighters and establish their location before launching the strike.

“Following positive identification and confirmation of the target, NAF aircraft conducted a precision engagement on the location,” Mr Ejodame said.

According to him, a post-strike assessment showed that the targeted compound was extensively damaged, with nine ISWAP members killed and several others injured.

Among those killed was Abu Khalid Al Muhajir, whom the NAF described as a key commander responsible for providing security escorts to senior ISWAP leaders.

Mr Ejodame said the commander’s death could significantly affect the group’s ability to protect and move its high-ranking members, particularly because of his knowledge of routes and terrain connecting terrorist positions within Sambisa Forest and neighbouring areas.

The NAF also said intelligence gathered from the operation indicated that some of the fighters targeted may have been linked to the recent ambush of Nigerian troops along the Bita-Yamtage axis in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno.

The Air Force said the operation reflected the growing role of intelligence-led aerial surveillance in tracking terrorist movements and striking their positions before they can reorganise.

It added that the loss of the fighters, particularly the senior commander, was expected to disrupt ISWAP’s internal security arrangements, movement of high-value operatives and coordination among its various enclaves.

Mr Ejodame said the NAF would continue to conduct intelligence-based air operations in coordination with ground troops as part of efforts to weaken terrorist networks and protect communities across the North-east.