By Elohor Igbru
Prominent leaders of the Islamic State of West Africa Province ( ISWAP) have been killed in a renewed air strike against the group in the Lake Chad area of northern Borno state.
The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE yesterday conducted series of coordinated air strikes on island settlements around the Lake Chad region where the ISWAP leaders have relocated. The ISWAP leaders killed include: Abu Imraana, ISWAP Naval Commander, as well as Mallam Ibrahim and Mallam Abba, and many other fighters.
The ATF conducted a massive simultaneous air strikes executed under the subsidiary Operation HAIL STORM at Kirta Wulgo and Sabon Tumbun, two settlements on the fringes of the Lake, where several key ISWAP leaders and scores of their fighters were killed.
The missions were conducted on the heels of credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports indicating that some ISWAP leaders and fighters had relocated to Sabon Tumbun due to the impact of the recent air strikes at the nearby Island settlement of Tumbuma Baba.
Similarly, up to 15 high-ranking ISWAP Commanders along with scores of their fighters were harboured at Kirta Wulgo, which serves as Administrative Headquarters and training camp for ISWAP.
Accordingly, the Air Task Force dispatched an enhanced force package of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets and helicopter gunships to attack the two locations devastating the location and leading to the elimination of several of the terrorists.