The Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI has carried out a precision airstrike on a suspected gathering of fighters belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Yaganari, Borno State, as part of ongoing military operations aimed at degrading insurgent activities in Nigeria’s North-East.
The development was disclosed by counter-insurgency and security analyst Zagazola Makama, who monitors security operations across the Lake Chad region.
According to Makama, the operation was launched in the early hours of Thursday, July 17, following intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions that tracked the movement of suspected terrorists to what military sources described as a larger gathering.
The report stated that surveillance began after troops received credible intelligence indicating suspicious terrorist activity within the Yaganari area. ISR assets initially identified four suspected terrorists moving through the area before two of them reportedly led operators to another location where about 12 suspected ISWAP fighters had assembled.
“After confirming the target and ensuring operational parameters were met, a precision strike was executed against the location at about 12:32 a.m., hitting the gathering,” the report quoted military sources as saying.
Preliminary battle damage assessment conducted after the airstrike indicated that an unconfirmed number of the suspected ISWAP fighters were neutralised, while several others fled the area in different directions.
Makama added that military surveillance aircraft remained over the target area after the strike to monitor the movement of fleeing suspects and identify opportunities for follow-up operations.
Military authorities reportedly described the mission as another intelligence-driven offensive designed to disrupt terrorist activities, weaken the operational capabilities of suspected ISWAP fighters, and prevent them from regrouping.
The latest airstrike forms part of the sustained air campaign under Operation HADIN KAI, which continues to target suspected terrorist enclaves, logistics hubs, and movement corridors across Borno State in support of ongoing ground operations against insurgents in the North-East.
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