Air Strike Fury: Nigerian Air Force obliterate ISWAP terror hub

The Air Component of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) has successfully carried out a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub near the abandoned village of Jilli, in Gubio Local Government Area, Borno State.

The operation, executed on 11 April 2026, targeted a site identified as a major movement corridor for Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and their collaborators.

The strike followed weeks of sustained Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions along the Bindul–Jilli axis, a location previously implicated in attacks against military personnel.

In January 2026, troops moving from Gubio towards Damasak were ambushed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Bindul, resulting in the deaths of eight soldiers and injuries to several others. More recently, on 9 April, coordinated attacks at Ngamdu and Benisheik were traced to the same terrorist logistics network, prompting the JTF to intensify aerial surveillance and intelligence collection.

On 11 April, ISR assets observed suspicious movements of ISWAP gun trucks and motorcycles converging on Jilli. Human intelligence sources corroborated these movements, confirming the presence of terrorists, their collaborators, and logistics handlers. Following a rigorous targeting process supported by persistent aerial surveillance and multiple credible human intelligence reports, the Air Component executed a series of precision strikes, maintaining continuous overwatch to assess battle damage in real time.

Post-strike reports indicate that the terrorist logistics enclave was destroyed with high accuracy. Scores of terrorists were neutralised, with vehicles and technicals destroyed, while surviving elements were seen fleeing in multiple directions. Intelligence also revealed that the neutralised group was in the process of receiving supplies for planned attacks on military positions in the Gubio area.

Further consolidating the operation’s impact, on 12 April 2026, a terrorist logistics courier identified as “Turja Bulu” was arrested at Ngamdu Town. He reportedly confessed to participating in the 9 April attack at Benisheik, and that he had been dispatched from Jilli to provide supplies to fellow ISWAP operatives hibernating in the Magumeri–Gubio area.

The successful strike represents a significant disruption of ISWAP operations in Borno, degrading their operational capability and preventing imminent attacks on military forces in the region.