In a significant military operation, the Nigerian Air Force has reportedly killed more than 40 militants and destroyed approximately 10 canoes in the Borno state, a region that has long been the epicentre of the 17-year Islamist insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast. The air strikes, carried out on 15 and 16 January, targeted militant groups around Lake Chad, signalling a renewed military pressure on the insurgents.
According to Air Force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame, the first set of air strikes on Thursday hit militants who were massing in canoes to attack Baga town and the fish dam area of Lake Chad. “Three bombing runs broke up the group, with fleeing gunmen tracked into nearby trees and neutralised,” Ejodame said in a statement.
The military and local officials have confirmed that the air strikes foiled the planned attack. On Friday, close-air-support aircraft struck terrorists who were retreating from an earlier clash and regrouping under trees in the Azir area, killing several and restoring order, Ejodame added.
The Borno state remains the epicentre of the Islamist insurgency, with Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters escalating attacks on military convoys and civilian communities in the region. The militants frequently exploit the area’s rugged terrain to launch raids on troops and nearby settlements.
The latest air strikes come just a month after the United States launched its own strikes targeting Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria, marking a significant escalation in the offensive that Nigeria’s overstretched military has struggled with for years. US President Donald Trump had claimed that the “powerful and deadly” strikes were carried out against Islamic State militants, primarily targeting and killing innocent Christians.
However, residents and security analysts have previously noted that Nigeria’s security crisis affects both Christians, who are predominant in the south, and Muslims, who are the majority in the north. Nigeria, which is battling multiple armed groups, said the US strikes were part of an exchange of intelligence and strategic coordination between the two countries.
The latest air strikes in Borno underscore the continued efforts by the Nigerian military to combat the persistent Islamist insurgency in the region, which has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions over the past two decades.