The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said ongoing joint counter-terrorism operations between Nigerian troops and the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) have eliminated 175 ISIS fighters in the North-East.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Uba said the coordinated air and ground strikes, which commenced a few days ago, had dealt a major blow to the terrorist group’s operational capacity.
According to him, the operations also led to the destruction of multiple ISIS checkpoints, weapons caches, logistics hubs, military equipment and financial networks sustaining the group’s activities.
He said several high-profile ISIS commanders were among those neutralised, including Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as one of the group’s most significant global operatives.
“Al-Minuki played a central role in ISIS external operations, including the coordination of terrorist financing, recruitment, logistics and attack planning targeting civilians,” he said.
Uba added that his elimination had severely disrupted the group’s command structure, operational coordination and external attack networks.
Other key figures neutralised, he said, include Abd-al Wahhab, an ISWAP senior leader responsible for coordinating attacks and propaganda; Abu Musa al-Mangawi, another senior member; and Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir, a senior media production operative. (NAN)
