Nigerian Military Kills Over 40 ISWAP Fighters in Borno Airstrike

The Nigerian military has announced the killing of more than 40 fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including a prominent commander, in an airstrike on a suspected insurgent enclave in Borno State.

The operation was carried out on October 10 at Badu Village, south of Gudumbali in Guzamala Local Government Area, following intelligence reports that the fighters were preparing coordinated attacks on military positions.

The Acting Military Information Officer of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed the development in a statement on Monday.

According to Goni, the military deployed aerial surveillance to monitor the movements of the insurgents around suspected hideouts and logistics facilities before launching a targeted strike on a building occupied by the fighters.

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

The military also reported that two vehicles and approximately 20 motorcycles used by the insurgents for transportation, logistics and offensive operations were destroyed.

Further intelligence indicated that the fighters belonged to ISWAP’s Murabitun element, a specialised mobile unit responsible for patrols, coordinating attacks and sustaining insurgent activities in the area.

Goni said the destruction of the enclave and the group’s operational assets had disrupted its planned attacks on military positions and surrounding communities.

He added that further assessments were ongoing to determine the full impact of the operation.