Nigeria: NAF Air Strikes Kill Nine ISWAP Fighters, Commander in Borno

What the report says

The Nigerian Air Force said an air strike in Borno State killed nine Islamic State West Africa Province fighters, including a senior commander, during an operation on Saturday, August 8, 2026. The account was reported by Vanguard and distributed by AllAfrica. According to the NAF, the strike took place in the Sambisa Forest area after intelligence indicated suspected terrorist movement and activity.

Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the NAF’s director of public relations and information, said the military used a remotely piloted aircraft for sustained surveillance before carrying out a precision strike on a target that had been identified and confirmed. The force said its post-strike assessment indicated significant damage at the site and later intelligence suggested that nine fighters were killed and several others wounded.

Among those reported dead was Abu Khalid Al Muhajir, described by the NAF as an ISWAP commander responsible for escorting senior members of the group. The statement said his death could affect the group’s movement and protection arrangements across Sambisa Forest and nearby areas. The NAF also said some of those hit were linked to elements suspected in a recent ambush on Nigerian troops in Borno’s Gwoza area.

The military said the operation showed the value of intelligence-led air power and that it would continue working with ground forces to disrupt insurgent mobility and reduce threats to communities in Nigeria’s northeast. As a general point, Sambisa Forest has long been associated with militant activity in the region.