The Traffic

NAF Airstrikes Eliminate Key ISWAP Commanders in Southern Borno

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), through the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), has successfully neutralised several senior Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) leaders and fighters during a precision airstrike mission in the Lake Chad axis of Borno State.

This was disclosed in a press statement issued in Abuja by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force.

The targeted operation, conducted on Sunday, focused on Arina Woje, a heavily fortified ISWAP hideout situated in the Southern Tumbuns area of Borno. The location is widely recognized as a strategic hub for the group’s leadership and logistics planning.

Gabkwet noted that the mission was executed following a series of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) sorties that revealed a resurgence of terrorist activity in the region. These developments reportedly followed inter-factional clashes that had temporarily displaced insurgent fighters.

According to the Air Force, ISR imagery and reports indicated a buildup of terrorist infrastructure, including troop movements, concealment of key facilities under thick vegetation, and the reestablishment of command and logistics centers.

“Upon receiving credible and actionable intelligence, NAF deployed air platforms to carry out targeted strikes. Upon arrival at the designated area, the aircrew successfully located and engaged multiple enemy targets with precision-guided weaponry,” Gabkwet stated.

He further explained that a preliminary battle damage assessment showed that numerous structures harboring top ISWAP commanders, fighters, and logistical assets were destroyed in the offensive. The impact of the operation is expected to significantly impair ISWAP’s operational capacity and disrupt its ability to coordinate resupply and attacks in the region.

The NAF spokesperson emphasized that this latest strike underscores the Nigerian Air Force’s unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism, limiting insurgent mobility, and providing critical aerial support to ground troops working to restore order and stability.

He added that the mission highlights the vital role of intelligence-led air operations in modern asymmetric warfare and reinforces NAF’s strategic approach to counterterrorism.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna