The Nigerian Air Force says nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, have been killed in an airstrike conducted in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State.
The operation, carried out on Saturday, August 8, followed intelligence reports about the movement of suspected terrorists within the forest.
The Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Ejodame said the Air Force deployed a Remotely Piloted Aircraft to monitor the area and track the terrorists as they moved towards a suspected hideout.
He said, “Following positive identification and confirmation of the target, the NAF aircraft conducted a precision engagement on the location.”
According to him, an assessment carried out after the operation showed that the strike had a significant impact on the targeted compound, with several terrorists neutralised.
Further intelligence received after the attack reportedly confirmed that nine ISWAP members were killed, while others sustained injuries.
Among those killed was identified as Abu Khalid Al Muhajir, described by the NAF as a key ISWAP commander who provided security escorts for senior members of the terrorist group.
The Air Force said Al Muhajir was knowledgeable about routes, terrain and tactical movements connecting major terrorist enclaves within Sambisa Forest and neighbouring areas.
His death, the NAF noted, would constitute a major operational setback for the group, particularly its leadership protection and movement arrangements.
The service also disclosed that intelligence suggested some of the terrorists affected in the strike were connected to elements suspected of taking part in the recent ambush of Nigerian troops along the Bita-Yamtage axis in Gwoza Local Government Area.
The NAF said the operation demonstrated the importance of combining continuous surveillance with precision airstrikes in counter-terrorism operations.
It added that the military would sustain intelligence-led air operations alongside ground forces to weaken terrorist networks, limit their freedom
