Nigerian airstrike kills over 15 militia in Sambisa forest hideout, spokesperson says
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A Nigerian Air Force A-29 Super Tucano aircraft pilot launches a Hydra 70 rocket at a target at the Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range near Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Sept. 1, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Rebeckah Medeiros via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service - DVIDS)
By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA - Nigeria's air force killed more than 15 Islamist militia fighters in an airstrike on a their hideout around the Sambisa forest in the northeastern Borno state, a spokesperson said on Thursday.
Nigeria has faced a 16-year Islamist insurgency in the northeast led by Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP, causing mass casualties, displacement and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said the operation, carried out on September 3, targeted fighters and commanders linked to recent attacks. The strike followed intelligence and surveillance that confirmed militant activity in the area, he said.
Ejodame said the airstrike destroyed key facilities used by the insurgents. He did not name the group, but the Sambisa area is a known hub for Boko Haram and ISWAP.
Nigeria's air force says it has killed 592 armed insurgents in Borno over the past eight months, following intensified airstrikes in the insurgency-hit region.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Alex Richardson // REUTERS)
