The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has dealt a major blow to Boko Haram insurgents operating in the Mandara Mountains of Borno State, following a series of precision airstrikes that neutralized key commanders and destroyed terrorist strongholds. The airstrikes, carried out on Saturday, July 6, 2025, under Operation Hadin Kai, targeted Wa Jahode and Loghpere, long-established enclaves of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram.
According to a statement released on Monday by NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the mission followed confirmed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations that identified the presence of terrorist infrastructure and leadership buildup in the area. The Mandara Mountains, known for their rugged terrain along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, had recently become a hotbed of insurgent activity.
The ISR missions revealed fortified compounds displaying black flags, structures equipped with solar panels, and signs of logistic buildup, indicators of preparations for coordinated attacks by insurgents. In response, NAF strike aircraft executed well-coordinated air interdictions that dismantled high-value terrorist assets, including command centers, logistics warehouses, and fortified shelters.
Ejodame confirmed that the airstrikes led to the death of several terrorists and disrupted their operational capability significantly. “Several terrorists were neutralized in the operation, effectively disrupting their supply chain and diminishing their capability to sustain further offensives,” he said.
He emphasized that the Nigerian Air Force remains committed to sustaining its offensive against terrorist groups and reaffirmed its role in restoring lasting peace to the North-East and other troubled regions of the country.
The successful strikes come amid renewed efforts by the military to degrade insurgent networks and reclaim areas previously under the influence of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) factions. The destruction of the terror enclaves in the Mandara Mountains is expected to weaken cross-border operations and logistics supply chains that have enabled the insurgency to linger in the region.
NAF’s latest operation adds to a string of recent successes under Operation Hadin Kai, highlighting the military’s evolving counterinsurgency strategy that leverages real-time intelligence and precision strike capability to target terrorist infrastructure deep within hard-to-reach terrains.
