Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrikes Sunday killed at least 28 terrorists affiliated to the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) and their collaborators in the fishing businesses last Sunday.
Sources in the North East Theatre Command, Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State, said the ISWAP elements and their collaborators, including their fishermen, were killed in a coordinated ground and aerial strikes by the Armed Forces of Nigeria at Daban Masara, Kukawa Local Government Area of the State.
Daban Masara is located deep in the North of Lake Chad forest, about two-hour drive to Kukawa town.
Sources said that “the precise intelligence-led airstrikes coordinated by the Air Task Force Command of Operation Hadin Kai,” resulted in the killing of more than 20 ISWAP sympathizers, who were then delivering some logistics items to the terrorists.
According to a military source, the location was an area administered by ISWAP terrorists, which also served as a meeting point where weapons, fuel, food items, motorcycles and other logistics are delivered to the terrorists.
“The location has no residents or households and fishing has been banned in the area. It harbours only the terrorists, their allies and workers in the fishing business.
“Some of the ISWAP fighters at the location were placed on standby, and were only awaiting directive from the leadership of their ISWAP to launch ambush attacks against troops of the NA,” he said.
The source, further disclosed that many of the ISWAP insurgents injured in the Sunday military raid refused to go to any hospital for treatment, over fear that they will be arrested.
Meanwhile, some Senior Commanders of ISWAP namely Amir Ibn-Umar, Muhammed Dan-Fulani, Amir Doctor and Malam Bashir, undertook sympathy visits to the ISWAP victims (of Sunday’s airstrikes) at their den, on Monday.
Ibn-Umar said: “On behalf of Aba-Ibrahim, the Wali, we are here to extend our sympathy to you over the sad incident that occurred on Sunday which led to the death of some of our own, as well as some fishermen.”
The ISWAP Commander said the attack on them was due to the activities of fifth columnists among them, who exposed their activities to the Nigerian military.
He warned them to be careful and make sure they always hide under trees to evade air raids launched by military jets.
A top military intelligence officer confirmed the airstrike, adding that the military authority in Abuja would soon issue a statement on the success of the operations on the Lake Chad axis with footage.
First published by PRNigeria