Nigerian Troops Kill Over 80 ISWAP Fighters in Major Borno Offensive

Nigeria’s military has recorded a significant victory against Islamic State West Africa Province insurgents in Borno State, with troops from the Army’s Theatre Command killing over 80 fighters and neutralising three high-profile ISWAP commanders in a coordinated operation. The strikes, confirmed by the Defence Headquarters, come in the aftermath of a deadly coordinated bombing that killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Borno earlier this week, prompting President Tinubu to order defence chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri and take direct command of operations. The President described the attacks as the desperate, final attempts of an insurgency increasingly under pressure from Nigerian security forces, and praised troops for their bravery and resolve. Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa has also made headlines this week after reportedly telling soldiers that the terrorists carrying out attacks in Borno and Yobe are ‘our brothers and sisters,’ a comment that sparked debate but was understood by military analysts as part of a broader deradicalisation and community engagement strategy. Nigeria ranked fourth globally for terrorism-related deaths in the latest Global Terrorism Report, with the Sahel accounting for nearly half of all such deaths worldwide, underscoring the urgency of sustaining military pressure