Troops Kill 15 Terrorists, Two ISWAP Commanders in Borno Airstrike

By Babangida Abdullahi, Gusau

The Nigerian military says its airstrikes have killed 15 terrorists, including two prominent Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders, and destroyed a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) logistics facility in Borno State.

The operation was carried out by air assets of the Joint Task Force, North East, under Operation Hadin Kai, at about 9:20pm on Wednesday, October 28, in the Kerenoa area of Marte Local Government Area of the state.

The military identified the two ISWAP commanders killed in the operation as Abu Musanna and Hassan Abu Huraira, adding that several other fighters were severely wounded.

It also said the Wali, or ISWAP governor, of the area was critically injured during the airstrikes.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Acting Media Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the operation followed intelligence reports about terrorist activities in the area.

According to him, the air assets initially tracked two terrorists riding on a motorcycle to a makeshift structure beneath a tree. Further surveillance revealed the movement of other fighters around the location, prompting the military to launch precision strikes.

Goni said a battle damage assessment conducted after the strikes indicated that 15 terrorists had been neutralised and structures at the location destroyed.

He added that a secondary fire observed after the engagement suggested that the targeted structure might have been used as a logistics hub for storing materials associated with improvised explosive devices.

The military said the operation was part of its sustained intelligence-led offensive aimed at degrading terrorist capabilities, destroying hideouts and disrupting logistics networks across the North-East.

It added that coordinated operations against terrorist groups would continue as part of efforts to restore lasting peace and security in the region.