Two senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) leaders have been killed in fresh air strikes in the Sambisa area of Borno State.
Security sources said the operation targeted Yuwe, a key location within the wider Sambisa Forest. The deceased were identified as Ali G3, the group’s commander in Yuwe, and Abdullahi Muga, another top leader. Their deaths followed earlier reports of other commanders, including Saddam, Saleh Garin Kago, Hussaini Ubaida, and Ba Alayi Benbem, being killed in the same mission.
The air operation was executed by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai at 6:08 am on Friday. Intelligence teams had first conducted surveillance on suspected terrorist command centres and storage facilities.
A source said, “Upon confirmation of the targets, the aircraft acquired and engaged the selected objectives with precision-guided munitions.” Post-strike assessments confirmed the destruction of command centres and logistics sites, significantly weakening ISWAP’s operational capability in the Sambisa corridor.
Military authorities said efforts are ongoing to verify the identities of other senior commanders who may have been killed and reaffirmed their commitment to intelligence-led operations to dismantle terrorist leadership networks in North-East Nigeria.
