Not less than 30 Boko Haram terrorists – including three commanders – have been reportedly killed in fresh airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
According to Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the operation was conducted on Sunday, January 1, around the Sambisa forest.
Four Boko Haram camps — Bula Jitoye, Halka Kojoye, Halka Alai and Bulamaye in Bama LGA of Borno — were said to have been hit with bombs.
A source who spoke to the publication said the coordinated joint air and ground offensive by the Nigerian military came barely hours after Boko Haram fighters and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had deadly clashes.
In a two-minute, 50 seconds video seen by the publication, Boko Haram fighters on motorbikes were burning makeshift houses and vehicles, killing members of the ISWAP group.
The publication said one of the commanders killed in the air force onslaught on Bula Jitoye is popularly called ‘Captain’ or ‘Doctor’. The two other commanders were said to have been killed in Halka Kojoye and Halka Alai.
Sources quoted by Zagazola Makama said one of the terrorists was heard in an intercepted communication, saying “we are killing the ISWAP and seizing all their weapons but our major problem is that the jets are killing us too”.
“On January 1, 2022, We lost about 30 fighters including 3 of our commanders; even Doctor was killed in the strikes. We want to fight them but we are afraid of the jets,” the terrorist was quoted as saying.