Airstrikes hit ISWAP hard in Lake Chad, commander wounded, four killed

Recent airstrikes by the Nigerian military have reportedly dealt a significant blow to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operations in the Lake Chad area, killing four terrorists and seriously wounding a senior commander.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the strikes were carried out as part of ongoing aerial interdiction operations by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI to disrupt terrorist movements, logistics and revenue networks in the region.

One of the strikes, conducted near Arege on Wednesday, August 5, reportedly left BA ARI HISBAH, a prominent commander of the ISWAP Police Wing in the Lake Chad area, with severe injuries to both legs.

Sources said the operation disrupted the activities of the terrorist group in the area, forcing surviving members to withdraw from the affected location.

In a separate operation on Friday, August 7, an airstrike conducted between Alayaru village and Limberi Market, north of Kukawa, reportedly killed four ISWAP members.

Among those killed was BA USMAN MAIDHARAIB, 55, described as one of the group’s longest-serving fishing tax collectors in the Lake Chad area.

According to the intelligence report, MAIDHARAIB was travelling with three other terrorists on two motorcycles when they were targeted by the aircraft. All four were reportedly killed, while the motorcycles were destroyed.

The death of MAIDHARAIB is considered significant because of the role played by ISWAP’s illegal taxation network in financing its activities around the Lake Chad region.

The terrorist group has reportedly imposed levies and taxes on fishing and other economic activities in communities and islands around the Lake Chad basin, using the proceeds to sustain its operations.

The destruction of revenue collectors and disruption of the group’s movement routes could therefore further undermine its ability to generate funds and maintain its operational networks.

Military sources said the latest operations followed intelligence surveillance that tracked the movement of terrorist elements in the targeted locations.

They added that Operation HADIN KAI would continue to coordinate air and ground operations aimed at restricting terrorists’ freedom of movement and disrupting their logistics, command and control structures.

The Lake Chad region remains a major theatre of counter-terrorism operations, with Nigerian security forces maintaining pressure on ISWAP formations and their support networks.

The latest strikes are part of intensified efforts to degrade terrorist enclaves, disrupt their sources of funding and prevent fleeing fighters from regrouping in the area.