The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has killed two senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operatives including the group’s chief security guard and a member of its Shura Council in an airstrike in the Lake Chad region.
The NAF spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame announced this in a statement yesterday.
According to him preliminary post-strike assessments indicated that the two operatives identified as Jindullah and Abul Kissa were among several fighters neutralised during the operation.
Jindullah was identified as ISWAP’s Chief Security Guard and a confidant of Abu Saleem while Abul Kissa was a member of the group’s Shura Council.
The strike conducted under the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) also destroyed logistical assets including boat engines and motorcycles believed to have been used by the terrorists for movement and operational activities.
Ejodame said the operation targeted an identified terrorist hideout concealed within the difficult terrain of the Lake Chad region.
He said the elimination of the operatives and destruction of the logistical assets would significantly weaken ISWAP’s operational capabilities particularly its ability to coordinate activities and threaten vulnerable communities.
According to the NAF spokesperson the operation underscored the service’s commitment to dismantling terrorist networks and disrupting their logistics in the North East.
He said the Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Aneke reaffirmed the NAF’s determination to sustain air operations against terrorist groups.
Aneke said the service would continue to conduct decisive operations in support of broader efforts to restore peace and stability across the country.
The NAF also pledged to strengthen collaboration with other military services and security agencies to consolidate operational gains protect vulnerable communities and advance efforts towards lasting peace in the North East.
The operation was part of ongoing military efforts to degrade Boko Haram and ISWAP networks across the Lake Chad Basin and other parts of the Northeast.
The NAF however described the post-strike findings as preliminary and did not disclose the exact location of the hideout or the total number of fighters killed.