Nigeria’s military said seven airstrikes killed 103 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in the northeast, as it targeted the group’s leadership and supply network.
Capt. Mohammed Goni, acting military information officer for Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, said the strikes took place from Oct. 10 to 18 in Borno and Adamawa states. Army aviation units, remotely piloted aircraft and the task force’s air component took part, he said. The task force also reported damage to supply and storage sites.
In its account of an Oct. 13 strike, the task force said an aircraft followed 16 fighters to a gathering of more than 100 east of Badu in Borno State. It estimated that about 30 people were killed. That figure, like the campaign’s reported total of 103 deaths, is a military assessment.
The task force said it also struck what it called the alternate residence of Abu Saleem, whom it identified as ISWAP’s Wali of South Lake Chad. It reported the destruction of nine boat engines and several motorcycles. The task force said Jindullah, whom it described as Abu Saleem’s chief security guard, and Abul Kissa, whom it identified as a member of the group’s Shura Council, were killed.
The task force dated that strike to Oct. 18. In a separate statement, the Nigerian Air Force said its preliminary assessment of an Oct. 19 hideout strike included Jindullah and Abul Kissa among those killed. The statements do not establish whether they describe the same operation.
In May, the African Union Peace and Security Council described ISWAP and Boko Haram as continuing threats in the Lake Chad Basin.
