Abuja: Several top commanders and fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were killed in a series of airstrikes launched by the Nigerian military around the Lake Chad region, the armed forces announced on Monday. Ehimen Ejodame, spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, stated that the operation aimed to dismantle the terror group’s leadership by targeting Arina Woje, a location known as a notorious enclave of ISWAP in the Southern Tumbuns area of Borno, near Lake Chad.
According to Ghana News Agency, the airstrike was based on a series of credible intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions that confirmed the presence of terrorist elements in the area following recent inter-factional clashes. Ejodame highlighted that military intelligence had uncovered significant terrorist activities, including the movement of foot soldiers and the reactivation of structures concealing command centers and logistics depots.
‘Aircrew on arrival, acquired and prosecuted pre-selected targets using precision-guided munitions, achieving devastating effects,’ Ejodame reported. Preliminary battle damage assessment indicated the destruction of several structures housing key ISWAP leaders, fighters, and logistics storage facilities, thereby disrupting the group’s operational planning and resupply efforts in the region.
ISWAP has been in collaboration with Boko Haram, endeavoring to establish an Islamist state in northeast Nigeria. The terror groups have also extended their attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin.