Nigerian military kill 6 ISWAP commanders in airstrikes

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

KANO, Nigeria (AA) - Nigeria’s military have eliminated six notorious commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist group through airstrikes in Borno state, an official said Sunday.

They included Amir Buba Danfulani, a senior ISWAP commander tasked with indoctrinating ethnic Fulanis and herdsmen into joining the terrorist group, said Nigerian Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet

Danfulani also coordinated activities of the terrorists, including the deployment of spies as well as tax collectors.

Five other key terrorist leaders were killed in the airstrikes, including Musa Amir Jaish, Mahd Maluma, Abu-Ubaida, Abu-Hamza and Abu-Nura Umarun Leni.

The well-coordinated airstrikes were conducted by the Nigerian Air Force under the air component of Operation Hadin Kai at various locations in the northeast.

Gabkwet said Super Tucano fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft were deployed in the week-long operations that were carried out simultaneously in different locations.

“Prior to the execution of the special mission, intelligence identified terrorist training camps at Tumbun Kaiyowa and Tumbun Allura that are most active with ISWAP/Boko Haram activities.

“The camps were also used by terrorists in firing projectiles against Nigerian Army locations in Mallam Fatori,” he said.

He said that consequently, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai deployed some aircraft that degraded the insurgents’ capabilities in order to prevent future attacks on troops and friendly locations while ensuring the success of ongoing operations.

Gabkwet said the aircraft dropped several bombs on the targets at Tumbun Kaiyowa and directed rockets and cannon fire at Tumbun Allura, adding the fleeing surviving terrorists were also eliminated with fighter helicopters.

He said a similar operation was conducted at Parisu and Njimia within the Sambisa Forest, where three different aircraft types for specific purposes bombarded the targets.

“The elimination of this number of high-ranking terrorists will surely send a strong signal to the terrorists operating in the northeast that the change in the fortunes of terrorist elements and their likes isn’t accidental. Rather, this is attributed to the renewed vigor that the armed forces of Nigeria and other security agencies have brought to bear in the counterinsurgency operation,” he added.