The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), said it has killed more than 35 jihadists in raids on militant fighters that had gathered in Borno State, near the Nigeria-Cameroon border.
The air strike was the latest by the Nigerian military, which is battling a resurgence of attacks in the country’s embattled northeast.The region faced frequent attacks from the jihadist fighters of Boko Haram and its rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
“Acting on multiple intelligence from several sources, the Air Component executed precision strikes in successive passes, engaging the terrorists and neutralising more than 35 fighters at four identified assembly areas,” said a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) statement.
The airforce said that the latest operation demonstrated the NAF’s commitment to providing close air support to ground forces while disrupting terrorist logistics and movement corridors along the northeast border regions.
The military operation has intensified efforts to dominate the battlefield and deny terrorists freedom of action.
The insurgency in Nigeria has killed more than 40,000 civilians and forced more than two million people to flee their homes, according to the UN.
The U.S. State Department approved the sale of $346 million in weapons to Nigeria, subject to Congressional approval, to improve the country’s capability to meet current and future threats.
However, the U.S. State Department’s annual rights report on Nigeria warned of air strikes killing civilians and torture of detainees.
A U.S. embassy spokesperson emphasised that senior officials in Washington and the embassy in Nigeria regularly engage with the Nigerian government to protect civilians from harm and ensure investigations into civilian casualty incidents and allegations of human rights violations are conducted transparently.
