The air component of Operation Hadin Kai says it killed over 40 Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists, including a commander, in an airstrike on Badu village, south of Gufumbali in the Guzamala area of Borno.

In a statement on Monday, Mohammed Goni, the operation’s spokesperson, said the precision airstrike hit a terrorist enclave on Saturday.

He said the operation followed credible reports that ISWAP fighters were assembling to launch coordinated attacks on troops operating within Sector 3’s area of responsibility.

“Acting swiftly on the intelligence, the air component conducted targeted aerial surveillance, identified terrorist movements around suspected hideouts and logistics facilities, and subsequently executed a precision strike on a building occupied by the terrorists,” Mr Goni said.

He said preliminary human intelligence and battle damage assessment indicated that over 40 terrorists, including a prominent ISWAP Qaid (commander), were killed in the strike.

According to him, the operation also destroyed two vehicles and approximately 20 motorcycles used by the terrorists for mobility, logistics and offensive operations.

Mr Goni said the strike disrupted planned attacks on military positions and surrounding communities.

“Further intelligence revealed that the terrorists belonged to ISWAP’s Murabitun element, a specialised mobile fighting unit responsible for conducting patrols, coordinating attacks and sustaining terrorist activities within the general area,” he said.

He added that the destruction of the enclave and associated operational assets represented a significant setback to the group’s capacity to launch attacks and sustain its activities in the Lake Chad region.

He said further assessments were ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage inflicted.