The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reported that nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including a senior commander, were killed in an air strike in Borno State.
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The operation was carried out on Saturday, August 8, 2026, following intelligence reports on the movement and activities of suspected terrorists around the Sambisa Forest.
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NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to him, the operation was launched after a Remotely Piloted Aircraft was deployed to conduct continuous Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions in the area.
The surveillance aircraft reportedly detected a group of terrorists moving towards a suspected hideout. After confirming the target, the aircraft carried out a precision strike on the location.
Ejodame said an assessment conducted after the operation showed that the targeted compound had suffered extensive damage, with several terrorists killed.
He said subsequent intelligence confirmed that nine ISWAP fighters had been killed, while several others sustained injuries.
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Among those killed was Abu Khalid Al Muhajir, identified by the Air Force as an ISWAP commander responsible for providing security escorts for senior members of the terrorist group.
The NAF said the commander’s death could disrupt the movement and protection of senior ISWAP members because of his reported knowledge of routes and terrain linking terrorist camps within the Sambisa Forest and surrounding areas.
Intelligence gathered after the strike also indicated that some of the fighters targeted were connected to elements suspected of taking part in the recent ambush of Nigerian troops along the Bita-Yamtage axis in Gwoza Local Government Area.
The Air Force said the operation demonstrated the growing use of intelligence-driven air operations to identify and target terrorist groups with greater precision.
According to the NAF, continued surveillance and targeted strikes would help disrupt the movement of ISWAP commanders and weaken coordination between its various camps.
Ejodame said the Nigerian Air Force would continue working with ground forces to carry out intelligence-led operations aimed at reducing terrorist capabilities, limiting their freedom of movement and improving security across communities affected by insurgency in the North-East.
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