Military Kills Over 40 ISWAP Fighters In Borno Air Strike

The Nigerian military says more than 40 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, including a senior commander, have been killed in an air strike on a terrorist hideout in Borno State.

The operation targeted an enclave at Badu Village, south of Gudumbali in Guzamala Local Government Area, over the weekend.

The Military Information Officer of the Headquarters Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement issued in Maiduguri on Monday.

According to the military, the strike followed intelligence reports indicating that ISWAP fighters were gathering to launch coordinated attacks on troops operating within Sector 3.

Goni said the Air Component swiftly conducted aerial surveillance, identified terrorist movements around suspected hideouts and logistics facilities, and launched a precision strike on a building occupied by the fighters.

He said preliminary human intelligence and battle damage assessments indicated that more than 40 terrorists, including a prominent ISWAP commander known as a Qaid, were killed.

The operation also reportedly destroyed two vehicles and about 20 motorcycles used by the group for transportation, logistics and offensive operations.

The military said the strike had disrupted the planned attacks and weakened the fighters’ capacity to threaten military positions and nearby communities.

Further intelligence assessments identified the targeted fighters as members of ISWAP’s Murabitun element, a specialised mobile unit responsible for patrols, coordinating attacks and sustaining terrorist operations in the area.

According to the statement, the destruction of the hideout and associated assets represents a significant setback to the group’s operational capabilities in the Lake Chad region.

The military added that assessments were ongoing to establish the full extent of the damage caused by the operation.

It described the strike as evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence-led and technology-enabled air operations in disrupting terrorist networks and restricting their movements.

The Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating terrorist threats, protecting vulnerable communities and restoring lasting peace and stability across the North-East.