NAF airstrike kills ISWAP leaders in Lake Chad
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has neutralised key figures of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) in a precision air strike in the Lake Chad region. The post NAF airstrike kills ISWAP leaders in Lake Chad…
The Lake Chad Basin, spanning parts of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, has for over a decade been a key stronghold for ISWAP, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram that has entrenched itself on the lake's numerous islands and creeks. The terrain's difficult access has made it a persistent haven from which the group stages attacks, extorts fishing communities and smuggles arms, even as Nigerian and multinational forces under the Multinational Joint Task Force have repeatedly targeted its camps and leadership.
The Nigerian Air Force has carried out similar strikes in the past as part of its broader counter-insurgency campaign, often announcing the elimination of commanders as a sign of progress against the group. Such claims are typically difficult to independently verify in the short term, and the identities of those killed, the exact location and timing of the strike, and ISWAP's response have not yet been detailed in the coverage so far.