NAF strikes crack ISWAP morale as fighters lose track of families

Fresh intelligence has revealed growing internal strain within the Islamic State West Africa Province, with fighters expressing alarm over the fate of their families following recent precision airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force in the Sambisa Forest axis of Borno State.

The strikes were carried out by NAF components of Operation Hadin Kai targeting insurgent positions in the Sambisa axis, and the fallout appears to be fuelling frustration, misinformation and distrust within ISWAP ranks.

According to security sources, a suspected fighter identified as Shettima, operating around the Limanti axis along the Maiduguri–Mafa road, lamented that news of the strikes reached him late and cast doubt on the reliability of information being circulated among fighters about the condition of their relatives.

A second associate, identified as Abu Fatima, disclosed that senior commanders had actively discouraged the sharing of operational or casualty details, warning fighters that such disclosures could invite internal sanctions.

He further indicated that during the strikes, fighters fled targeted locations while some of their family members — including women and children — had been gathered at a separate site. The NAF, he said, delivered accurate strikes on the fighters’ positions, resulting in casualties and injuries.

Intelligence sources said some of the wounded are receiving treatment within insurgent-held enclaves, while others sustained severe injuries, including amputations. A number have since been treated and discharged.

The sources described the development as evidence of deepening psychological pressure within ISWAP, as relentless aerial bombardments erode the group’s operational stability and undermine command confidence.

Beyond battlefield losses, fighters are increasingly contending with fear, misinformation and suspicion — particularly over perceived communication gaps between field operatives and senior commanders on casualty reporting.

Analysts say such mounting pressure could further hollow out morale within ISWAP and sharpen internal distrust, weakening the group’s cohesion from within.

Operation Hadin Kai has continued to degrade insurgent mobility, logistics and command structures across the North-East.

However, security sources cautioned that consolidating the gains from sustained air operations would require tighter coordination between air and ground components, backed by intelligence-driven offensives to deny ISWAP the space and capacity to recover in Sambisa and surrounding axes.