By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

Recent air strikes conducted by the Nigerian Military have reportedly dealt a major blow to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Sambisa Forest, with nine fighters, including a prominent commander responsible for escorting senior terrorists, neutralised. Sources have said.

The strikes, conducted on Saturday, Aug. 8, around the Yuwe and Sabil Huda enclaves in the Sambisa Forest, were described by intelligence sources as highly effective.

According to fresh intelligence obtained by Vanguard, which was corroborated by Zagazola Makama, a Security Analyst and Counter Insurgency Expert, one of those neutralised was Qaid Abu Khalid Al Muhajir, an ISWAP commander originally from Maiduguri metropolis.

Intelligence sources identified Abu Khalid as a specialist responsible for providing escorts and coordinating the movement of senior ISWAP commanders and other high-value members of the terrorist group.

He was reportedly highly familiar with navigation routes and tactical movements connecting major ISWAP enclaves, particularly routes used to move senior commanders and special convoys.

His role reportedly made him an important facilitator of mobility within the terrorist group’s network, enabling senior members to move between enclaves while reducing the risk of interception by security forces.

The intelligence report indicated that nine ISWAP fighters were neutralised during the air strikes, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Sources said the casualties included terrorist elements linked to the group involved in the ambush of Nigerian troops along the Bita–Yamtage axis in Gwoza Local Government Area.

The latest intelligence suggests that the air strikes may have disrupted a wider network of fighters involved in terrorist operations across the Sambisa Forest and the Gwoza axis.

The neutralisation of Abu Khalid is considered significant because of his reported knowledge of the terrain, routes and movement patterns used by ISWAP commanders and special convoys.

His loss could therefore affect the group’s ability to move senior operatives between its various enclaves, particularly in areas where security forces have intensified surveillance and kinetic operations.

Security sources said the latest strikes would be followed by continued intelligence exploitation and surveillance to assess the extent of the damage and identify surviving members of the affected groups.

The development comes amid intensified military operations aimed at dismantling terrorist command structures, disrupting logistics and denying ISWAP and Boko Haram elements freedom of movement across Borno State.

The Nigerian Army and the Air Component are expected to sustain their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in support of ground troops operating across the Sambisa Forest, Gwoza and adjoining areas.

The military has also continued to place emphasis on precision targeting to disrupt terrorist leadership and specialised networks while supporting ongoing ground operations in the theatre. End