The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed that precision airstrikes carried out on 9 November 2025 in the Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram areas of Borno State killed several Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters and destroyed their hideouts and logistics hubs.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, said the strikes were guided by real‑time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance feeds.
He explained that air assets first targeted insurgents southeast of Shuwaram before shifting to Mallam Fatori, where fighters were observed moving with motorcycles and boats along the Lake Chad Basin.
“The precision strikes destroyed insurgent hideouts, logistics hubs and weapons storage facilities, neutralising several terrorists and disrupting their mobility,” Ejodame said.
The operation is part of broader campaigns under Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Fasan Yamma, which target insurgents and bandits across northern Nigeria.
While the NAF did not provide exact casualty figures, it described the outcome as “multiple neutralisations” and a significant degradation of ISWAP’s operational networks.
Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram are strategic areas in Borno’s Lake Chad Basin, long used by ISWAP as staging points and logistics bases.
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The region’s riverine terrain allows insurgents mobility and concealment, making air operations critical in disrupting their activities.
Analysts note that ISWAP has evolved into a sophisticated insurgent group with cross‑border networks and quasi‑state structures in parts of the Lake Chad region.
The strikes represent a tactical escalation in NAF’s air campaign, aimed at denying insurgents safe havens and shaping conditions for follow‑up ground operations.
The NAF said similar precision airstrikes have been conducted in other northern states as part of the ongoing effort to weaken insurgent networks and enhance security in the region.