The Nigerian military said on Tuesday that 175 IS militants had so far been “eliminated from the battlefield” by a joint airstrikes from the Nigeria and the US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, it said the operations inflicted what it described as a “devastating blow” on terrorist networks operating within the region, with several strategic targets destroyed during the offensive.
An AFRICOM spokesman confirmed the toll of 175 among the jihadists.
AFRICOM commander General Dagvin Anderson told a Congressional hearing in Washington that Nigeria had been “instrumental throughout the last several months, developing the target, helping us with the intelligence, and providing support”.
US and Nigerian forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, an IS leader described as the “most active terrorist” in the world, at a remote village in the northeast last weekend.
As director of global operations for IS, the slain al-Minuki provided strategic guidance on media and financial operations and “the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones”, according to the Nigerian military and the US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
After the announcement of al-Minuki’s death, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu thanked his US counterpart, Donald Trump, for his “leadership and unwavering support”.
He said he looked forward to “more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation”.
Senior figures
According to Tuesday’s military statement, the operations in the last few days have killed other key IS figures.
They include Abd-al Wahhab, said to be a “senior leader” of ISWAP, “responsible for coordinating attacks and distributing propaganda”.
Abu Musa al-Mangawi was said to be a high-ranking ISWAP member, while Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir was a “senior media production team manager and close confidant to al-Minuki”.
“Several key ISIS leaders” were killed, according to Anderson.