Nigeria’s Military Launches Air Strikes, Claims Major Jihadist Casualties

The Nigerian military has announced the deaths of 35 jihadists in air strikes aimed at thwarting attacks on ground troops. This comes as the country faces ongoing conflicts with jihadist groups and criminal gangs. Calls for a Presidential Task Force to address the violence have arisen amidst worsening security conditions and rising death tolls.

The Nigerian military has reported the killing of 35 jihadists following a series of air strikes near the northeastern border with Cameroon. The military stated that the operations targeted jihadist groups attempting to launch assaults on ground troops. For over a decade, Nigeria has been grappling with threats from jihadist factions, violent criminal groups, and rampant kidnappings.

Prominent Nigerian figures, including former government ministers and civil society leaders, have expressed serious concerns about the current violent climate, likening it to "war-time levels of slaughter" despite Nigeria officially being at peace. This statement comes in light of a May report by Amnesty International, which counted over 10,217 fatalities since President Bola Tinubu took office two years ago.

The concerned group has urged the establishment of a Presidential Task Force equipped with extensive powers to tackle the escalating conflicts, particularly focusing on the resurgence of Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap). Recent military reports indicated that nearly 600 militants have been neutralized in the region over the past eight months, although independent verification of these claims remains lacking.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) committed to ongoing air support for ground troops dismantling jihadist installations in the northeast. The conflict, as per UN estimates, has resulted in over 35,000 deaths and displaced two million individuals. In a bid to aid Nigeria in mitigating unrest, the US State Department recently approved a significant arms sale worth $346 million.

The Institute for Security Studies noted that there have been at least 15 jihadist attacks near Nigeria's borders with Cameroon and Niger in the current year. These attacks have seen jihadists employ modified commercial drones to target military bases, complicating reinforcements. Alongside combating jihadists, the military has also engaged in strikes against "bandits," a term broadly used for various criminal groups across the country.

In a separate operation in Katsina state, military efforts successfully rescued 76 kidnapping victims, although a child lost their life during the operation. This followed a recent devastating assault on worshippers and nearby residents in the village of Unguwan Mantau, resulting in at least 50 fatalities and the abduction of around 60 individuals. Katsina and adjacent Zamfara state are among the regions most affected by banditry, leading to significant mortality and displacement.