Several members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been killed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) during intensified counterterrorism and counter-banditry operations nationwide.
The incident followed a series of precision airstrikes that neutralised the terrorists in Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram, Borno State, and destroyed bandit enclaves in Garin Dandi and Chigogo, Kwara State, as well as Zango Hill in the Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
According to a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the coordinated missions executed on 9 November 2025 represented a decisive phase in ongoing joint operations under Operation HADIN KAI and Operation FANSAN YAMMA, aimed at degrading terrorist and criminal networks across Nigeria’s northern theatres.
“In Borno State, NAF air interdiction missions dealt a heavy blow to ISWAP terrorists entrenched in the Northern Tumbuns.
“Guided by real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) feeds, air assets conducted precision strikes southeast of Shuwaram before shifting to Mallam Fatori, where ISWAP elements were observed mobilising with motorcycles and boats along the Lake Chad Basin.
“The strikes destroyed insurgent hideouts, logistics hubs, and weapons storage facilities, eliminating several terrorists and crippling their mobility capabilities. Post-strike assessments confirmed multiple neutralisations and a significant degradation of ISWAP’s operational networks in the area,” the statement partly read.
Kwara Air Strikes
The NAF headquarters disclosed that its aircraft simultaneously carried out precision air interdiction missions over Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara, striking bandit camps with devastating accuracy based on credible intelligence.
“The attacks caused panic and inflicted heavy losses among the criminals,” it said.
It further stated that in a related operation, air assets under Operation FANSAN YAMMA struck Zango Hill in Kankara, Katsina State, the hideout of a terrorist kingpin and his fighters.
“Guided by actionable intelligence and ISR surveillance, multiple attack passes were executed, destroying key logistics hubs and neutralising several of the terrorists in one of the most decisive strikes in the region.
“Demonstrating sustained reach and precision, the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA (Sector 1) conducted an Armed Reconnaissance mission across the northwest corridor, covering key settlements in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna States, including Kakihum, Dankolo, Kotonkoro, and Kuyello.
“These locations serve as known routes and hideouts for armed groups along the Birnin Gwari–Funtua axis. During the mission, coordination with Forward Operating Bases at Dankolo and Kotonkoro revealed suspicious movement near Wam Hill, where terrorists on motorcycles were spotted attempting to flee.
“The aircrew swiftly engaged and neutralised the targets, with no further hostile activity observed,” the statement read.
NAF said the success of the precision operations across Borno, Kwara, Katsina, and the wider northwestern corridor underscored its renewed tempo following the directives of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke.
It also stated that each mission reaffirms its resolve to project smarter and intelligence-driven airpower to project purposeful lethality against insurgents and criminals while protecting the lives and properties of citizens towards enhancing national security.
‘Renewed Tempo’
In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s threat to send US forces into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if Africa’s most populous country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by terrorists, President Bola Tinubu had on last week pledged his administration’s resolve to intensify the fight against terrorism and criminality.
“The task ahead is immense. But we are resolved to move forward with unity and purpose, to defeat terrorism and build a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Nigeria,” Tinubu had said.
The NAF raid came days after Aneke directed air component commanders from ongoing military operations nationwide to increase the strength of their strikes on terrorists.
“We must fly smarter and strike harder; every mission must reflect professionalism, purpose, and patriotism,” he told the senior officers at a high-level strategic meeting with the commanders from all operational theatres at the NAF Headquarters, Abuja.
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