Trending 
Troops have killed more than 50 terrorists, including a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, and arrested several collaborators in a major offensive across Borno State, the military said Wednesday.
A precision airstrike around Kirta and Arina Ciki in the northeast region killed Khalifa Umar, a member of the ISWAP Shura Council, along with multiple other commanders, according to an operational report released to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The sustained air campaign has forced insurgents to abandon island hideouts and flee towards the mainland under mounting pressure, the report added.
In separate ground operations within Maiduguri and surrounding areas, troops apprehended three suspected ISWAP logistics suppliers and informants, and also a deserter soldier who had absconded with his weapon and was later linked to criminal activities.
Items recovered from the suspects include a rifle with magazines, a vehicle, 30 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and other materials used to support terrorist operations, the military said.
“Troops also conducted fighting patrols in the Kukawa axis, engaging fleeing terrorist scouts and recovering ammunition,” the report stated.
The northeast theatre remains the epicentre of Nigeria’s long-running counter-terrorism campaign under Operation Hadin Kai. For years, coordinated air and ground offensives have targeted ISWAP and Boko Haram enclaves across the Lake Chad Basin and Sambisa forest region.
Military authorities say recent operations have increasingly combined intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with precision airstrikes aimed at disrupting terrorist command structures, logistics hubs and mobility routes.
The evolving strategy has forced insurgents to abandon fortified island enclaves and disperse into smaller cells, making them more vulnerable to sustained pursuit operations, according to the military.
The most recent round of operations is a reflection of ongoing efforts to disrupt supply chains, weaken leadership components, and restrict terrorists’ ability to travel throughout the state and adjacent border corridors.
The military declared that operations would continue in order to further weaken terrorist capabilities and bring peace back to the area.
