At least 15 suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been killed in a Nigerian military airstrike during an intelligence-led operation in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of July 21, reportedly followed credible intelligence on the movement and location of suspected insurgents around KLA Balia in the troubled local government area.
According to security sources quoted by counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama, the military deployed an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platform to verify the intelligence before launching the operation.
During the surveillance mission, the platform reportedly identified three vehicles concealed beneath separate trees and believed to be used by the insurgents.
The surveillance also spotted several makeshift shelters in the area, where five suspected terrorists were seen taking cover under a tree.
Following what military sources described as a positive target identification, a precision airstrike was launched on the location.
The strike was said to have killed the five identified fighters instantly and triggered secondary explosions, with preliminary military assessments estimating that about 15 suspected ISWAP members were killed in the operation.
A post-strike battle damage assessment reportedly confirmed that the three concealed vehicles survived the bombardment.
The military subsequently attempted another precision strike to destroy the vehicles, but the effort failed after a malfunction in the laser targeting system reportedly prevented accurate engagement of the targets.
Despite the technical setback, military sources described the mission as a major operational success, saying it significantly degraded the terrorist groupβs fighting capability and disrupted its activities in the area.
The sources added that aerial surveillance of the location is ongoing, with additional operations expected to target surviving insurgents and destroy the remaining vehicles.
The Nigerian military has continued to intensify air and ground operations against terrorist groups operating in the North-East as part of efforts to restore security across the region.
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