A fresh battle damage assessment (BDA) from Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) has confirmed that more than 20 fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were killed in a precision airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force’s Air Component at Kila Bariya in the Southern Lake Chad axis.
Intelligence sources said the operation, carried out on July 21, targeted a key terrorist logistics and assembly point following credible intelligence indicating the presence of fighters and strategic supplies at the location.
According to the latest assessment, several other terrorists sustained severe injuries during the strike, while more than 30 newly acquired motorcycles, most of them brand new and reportedly intended for future operations, were destroyed.
The assessment also indicated that the airstrike destroyed a major ISWAP food storage facility stocked with large quantities of beans and other food items allegedly confiscated or forcibly collected from farming communities across the Southern Lake Chad region.
Military sources described the operation as one of the most significant precision strikes recorded in recent weeks, saying it dealt a major blow to the terrorist group’s mobility, logistics and operational sustainment capabilities.
“The destruction of the motorcycles will significantly reduce the terrorists’ ability to conduct rapid raids and reinforcement across the difficult Lake Chad terrain, while the loss of the food stockpile will further degrade their capacity to sustain prolonged operations,” a senior military source said.
Security sources believe the successful operation could alter the operational dynamics in the Southern Lake Chad axis, particularly around Marte, Ngala and Dikwa Local Government Areas, where ISWAP has continued attempts to regroup and expand its influence.
The Nigerian military has intensified its air campaign under Operation HADIN KAI, combining precision intelligence, persistent surveillance and targeted strikes aimed at disrupting terrorist command structures, logistics networks and freedom of movement across the North-East.
