The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai has neutralised two senior commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and several other fighters during a precision air interdiction mission in the Sambisa general area of Borno State.
According to security sources who spoke to Zagalola Makama said the airstrike, carried out in the early hours of Friday at Yuwe axis of the Sambisa Forest, killed two top terrorist commanders identified as Saddam and Saleh Garin Kago.
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Other terrorists neutralised in the operation include Hussaini Ubaida and Ba Alayi Benbem.
The sources said the operation was executed at about 6:08 a.m. following confirmatory Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) which identified suspected terrorists’ command hideouts and logistics warehouses in the area.
“Upon confirmation of the targets, various military aircraft and platforms departed base to prosecute the mission,” one of the sources said. “On reaching the objective area, the aircraft acquired and engaged the selected targets with precision-guided munitions.”
According to the sources, post-strike battle damage assessment revealed that the identified command hubs and logistics warehouses were effectively destroyed, significantly degrading the operational capacity of the terrorists operating within the Sambisa corridor.
Efforts are ongoing to confirm the identities of additional casualties that may have resulted from the strike.
Meanwhile, the military high command of Operation Hadin Kai has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling terrorist leadership structures, disrupting supply chains, and denying insurgents safe havens.
The command stressed that the theatre headquarters would continue to work closely with the Air Component and other security agencies to intensify operations, consolidate recent gains, and restore lasting peace in Nigeria’s North-East region.
