The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has killed nine Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, including a senior commander, in a precision air strike in Borno.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
He said the operation was conducted on Saturday in the Sambisa Forest area following credible intelligence on terrorist movements and activities.
According to him, a Remotely Piloted Aircraft was deployed to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance on the area before NAF aircraft carried out a precision strike after positively identifying the target.
Ejodame said a subsequent assessment showed that nine terrorists were killed and several others wounded.
He identified one of those killed as Abu Khalid Al Muhajir, an ISWAP commander responsible for providing security escorts for senior members of the group.
He said the commander’s elimination was a major setback for ISWAP, given his knowledge of routes, terrain and tactical movements connecting major terrorist enclaves in the Sambisa Forest and surrounding areas.
Ejodame added that intelligence indicated that some of the fighters affected by the strike were linked to elements suspected of carrying out the recent ambush on Nigerian troops along the Bita-Yamtage axis in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno.
He said the operation demonstrated the growing effectiveness of intelligence-driven air operations, combining surveillance with precision strikes to detect and neutralise terrorists before they regroup.
Ejodame reaffirmed the NAF’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led air operations in coordination with ground troops to degrade terrorist capabilities and protect communities in the North-East.
