Airstrikes executed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have killed scores of terrorists and destroyed the enclave of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) leader, Fiya Ba Yuram, in Sambisa forest, Borno State.

Fiya Ba Yuram took over the leadership of the ISWAP insurgent group in 2021.

According to PR Nigeria, the raid carried out on Fiya Ba Yuram’s enclave over the weekend followed a credible and actionable intelligence by the Air Component of Operation of Hadin Kai that terrorists were gathering for an undisclosed mission.

Airstrikes were then authorised and carried out on the location, following the intelligence.

“An assessment of the location after the strikes revealed it to be successful, though it remained unconfirmed if Fiya Ba Yuram was among the terrorists neutralised in the strikes,” a military intelligence officer disclosed.

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It was gathered that similar airstrikes were executed in the Tunbuns near Lake Chad after suspected terrorists’ activities were observed in the area believed to be a training camp for ISWAP fighters.

“The targets were subsequently acquired and engulfed in flames all after. The aftermath of the airstrike revealed that pandemonium broke out as the remnant of surviving terrorists took cover under nearby trees which were later struck by the aircraft,” the officer added.

The incident was confirmed by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, saying: “Yes, strikes were carried out on some specific targets in the Tunbuns and Sambisa with varying degrees of successes recorded.

“The NAF won’t however be drawn into the details of those neutralized,” Gabkwet said.

The Star