The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says a precision airstrike in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State has killed nine Islamic State West Africa Province fighters, including a senior commander accused of providing security escorts for the movement of the group’s top operatives.
The operation was carried out on Saturday, August 8, 2026, following intelligence on the movement of suspected terrorists within the forest, according to the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.
Ejodame said a Remotely Piloted Aircraft was deployed for persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance before a group of terrorists moving towards a suspected hideout was identified.
After the target was positively identified, the aircraft conducted what the NAF described as a precision engagement.
A subsequent battle damage assessment indicated significant impact on the targeted location, while intelligence received after the strike confirmed that nine ISWAP fighters had been killed and several others wounded.
Among those reportedly killed was Abu Khalid Al Muhajir, whom the NAF described as a prominent ISWAP commander responsible for providing special security escorts for senior members of the terrorist group.
According to the military, Al Muhajir’s knowledge of routes, terrain and tactical movements connecting major terrorist enclaves in and around Sambisa Forest made him an important figure within the group’s operational network.
The NAF said his reported death could disrupt the movement of high-value ISWAP personnel and the security arrangements protecting senior commanders.
The service also said intelligence indicated that some of the fighters affected by the strike were linked to elements suspected of taking part in a recent ambush on Nigerian troops along the Bita-Yamtage axis in Gwoza Local Government Area.
The latest operation comes as Nigerian security forces sustain aerial and ground operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP factions operating across Borno and other parts of the North-East.
Sambisa Forest has remained an important operating environment for insurgent groups despite years of military operations. Security forces have increasingly relied on aerial surveillance, precision strikes and coordinated ground operations to locate and disrupt insurgent formations.
The NAF said the latest strike demonstrated the effectiveness of combining persistent surveillance with precision airpower to track mobile terrorist groups before engaging them.
The service added that it would continue intelligence-driven air operations in coordination with surface forces to degrade terrorist capabilities, restrict their freedom of movement and improve security for communities in the North-East.
The reported killing of Al Muhajir could represent a significant disruption to ISWAP’s leadership-protection network if subsequent intelligence and operational assessments sustain the claim.
