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The Nigerian Air Force has confirmed that at least 35 terrorists were killed in a series of airstrikes.

Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Nigeria has been grappling with a persistent and deadly terrorism crisis primarily driven by two jihadist groups: Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Boko Haram, which emerged in 2009, is known for its extreme opposition to Western education and has historically targeted civilians, schools, and soft targets in its quest to impose a strict form of Islamic law across northeastern Nigeria. ISWAP, on the other hand, broke away from Boko Haram in 2016 following internal disputes, particularly over leadership and tactics. Backed by ISIS, ISWAP has taken a more militarized approach, focusing its attacks on government and military installations. Both groups operate primarily out of Nigeria’s Borno State, with strongholds extending into Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.

Getting into it: The strikes, launched in the early hours of Saturday near the border community of Kumshe, targeted four key assembly points where ISWAP fighters had reportedly converged to plan an attack on Nigerian ground troops. The operation was based on intelligence and was conducted by a joint military campaign aimed at dismantling terrorist networks in Nigeria’s northeast. Officials say the insurgents were advancing from the Gulumba Gana area before being intercepted. Ground forces engaged the militants in an initial firefight, after which Nigerian Air Force jets moved in to eliminate retreating elements and prevent further regrouping.

Military sources indicated that the airstrikes not only inflicted heavy casualties but also disrupted ISWAP’s ability to coordinate future operations in the volatile border region. According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information for the NAF, communication was re-established with ground troops following the air assault, who then confirmed the area had been stabilized.

This air offensive is part of a broader intensification of counter-insurgency operations in the northeast, where ISWAP and Boko Haram factions have ramped up assaults on military positions in recent months. Just last week, the Nigerian military reported killing over 590 terrorists over an eight-month span, a figure that surpasses operational gains made in all of 2024.

The latest strikes also come in the wake of another major blow to jihadist networks in the region: the targeted killing of senior Boko Haram leader Ibrahim Bakoura. The Nigerien military confirmed Bakoura’s death in an August 15 airstrike in the Lake Chad region after he had been “tracked for several weeks.” The operation also killed dozens of militants and other senior Boko Haram figures.