ABUJA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 40 suspected terrorists, including a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), were killed in an airstrike by Nigerian troops in the country's northeastern Borno State on the weekend, the military said Monday.
In a statement, Mohammed Goni, spokesperson for the military's Operation Hadin Kai, said the precision airstrike targeted an ISWAP enclave in Badu village, Guzamala Local Government Area, on Saturday.
The suspected terrorists were regrouping to launch coordinated attacks on troops in the area when the military launched the airstrike, following intelligence gathering and aerial surveillance, Goni said.
Citing preliminary human intelligence and battle damage assessments, he said more than 40 suspected terrorists, including a man identified as a prominent ISWAP commander, were killed in the operation.
The suspected terrorists belonged to ISWAP's Murabitun unit, a specialized mobile fighting force responsible for conducting patrols, coordinating attacks and sustaining terrorist activities in the area, Goni added.
He said the destruction of the enclave and associated operational assets represented "a significant setback to the group's ability to launch attacks and sustain its activities in the Lake Chad region."
ISWAP and Boko Haram have carried out attacks in northeastern Nigeria and other countries in the Lake Chad Basin. ■