Nigeria’s military says its airstrikes killed 35 Islamic militants in Borno state
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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s military said it targeted militants with precision airstrikes in the country’s northeast early on Saturday, killing at lest 35 suspected jihadis as the West African country grapples with militancy and a resurgent Boko Haram.
The strikes were launched on four targets in the area of Kumshe in Borno state, near the border with Cameroon, according to Ehimen Ejodame, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force.
Boko Haram, a homegrown group of jihadis in Nigeria, is considered one of the world’s deadliest armed groups. It took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose its radical version of Islamic law in the country’s northeast.
A splinter group known as the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, is known for targeting the military and has overrun bases in northeastern Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
The conflict has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors, including Niger, and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations.
Ejodame said the insurgents had converged on Kumshe following attempted attacks on ground troops in the area.
“Following the operation, communication was re-established with ground troops, who confirmed that the situation around their location had been stabilized,” he said.
Despite the efforts by the government of President Bola Tinubu to curb jihadi attacks, the militancy has persisted.
Apart from the insurgency in the northeast, Nigeria is also struggling to curb the activities of armed gangs in the north-central and north-west regions.