The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has neutralised several key Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, including a reported security chief and a member of the group’s Shura Council, in an air strike in the Lake Chad region.
The operation, conducted under the Joint Task Force, Operation HADIN KAI, targeted an identified terrorist hideout as part of ongoing efforts to weaken insurgent networks and disrupt their operations in the North-East.
In a statement, the Director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said preliminary post-strike assessments identified the neutralised fighters as JINDULLAH, reportedly the Chief Security Guard and confidant of Abu Saleem, and ABUL KISSA, a member of the ISWAP Shura Council.
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The Air Force said the strike also destroyed logistical assets, including boat engines and motorcycles believed to be used by the terrorists for movement and operational activities.
Ejodame explained that the operation demonstrated the military’s continued use of intelligence-led precision air strikes to target terrorist hideouts in difficult terrain, disrupt logistics and weaken insurgents’ capacity to coordinate attacks.
He noted that eliminating key operatives and destroying essential logistical resources would further constrain ISWAP’s ability to sustain its activities and threaten vulnerable communities in the region.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, reaffirmed the NAF’s determination to sustain air operations against terrorist groups in support of broader efforts to restore peace and stability across the country.
The Air Force also pledged to strengthen cooperation with sister services and other security agencies to consolidate operational gains, protect vulnerable communities and advance lasting peace and security in the North-East.
