LAGOS — Nigeria’s military says it has killed 592 armed militia members in the northeastern state of Borno over the past eight months, part of an intensified air campaign against Islamist insurgents that has targeted both fighters and their supply networks.
The toll surpasses the operational gains recorded in 2024, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Abubakar said Tuesday during a visit to Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum. He said more than 200 technical vehicles and 166 logistics hubs used by insurgents were also destroyed.
Militants from Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged a violent insurgency in the northeast for more than a decade, killing thousands and displacing millions. Militia gangs in Borno alone have killed at least 2,000 people since 2023, according to Nigeria Watch, a conflict monitoring database.
“This year, our air war is faster, sharper and more surgical,” Abubakar said. “We are taking out high-value targets, crippling logistics networks and dismantling cells that threaten peace in the northeast.”
The campaign has involved day-and-night air strikes across key areas including Gonori, Rann, Dikwa, Damboa, Azir and Mallam Fatori, Abubakar said. The Nigerian Air Force flew 798 combat sorties and logged more than 1,500 flight hours under Operation Hadin Kai, its counterinsurgency mission.
The offensive was supported by A-29 Super Tucano aircraft capable of precision and night operations, Mi-171 helicopters for logistics and medical evacuation, and surveillance platforms for continuous target tracking. A newly acquired Mi-35 gunship is expected to bolster close-air support for ground troops, he added.
Independent analysts, however, urged caution.
“The military’s claim of success pales in comparison to the recent gains and successful attacks carried out by Boko Haram factions in Borno since ISWAP renewed its offensive in late 2024,” said Confidence MacHarry, senior analyst at Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence.
The Nigerian military this week also reported killing scores of armed gangs in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, during a joint air and ground operation after more than 400 fighters were observed preparing to attack a village.
Source: Reuters
