Image Credentials: Image Title: Nigerian Air Force Raid near Cameroon Border had killed more than 35 jihadist fighters Source: (Gemini) Date: August 2025. Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (Gemini), it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle with Agencies
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) announced that it had killed more than 35 jihadist fighters in a series of air strikes near the Nigeria–Cameroon border on a Saturday in 2025. The raids targeted militants from Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), following an attempted attack on Nigerian ground troops in the northeast region of the country.
Nigeria's air force says it has killed at least 35 terrorists in air strikes near the Cameroonian border, following intelligence that the group was planning an attack. pic.twitter.com/502G3Gi5PQ
— Africa Folder (@AfricaFolder) August 24, 2025
Background
Nigeria’s northeast has been the epicenter of a violent insurgency since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its campaign against the state. In 2016, the group split, leading to the rise of ISWAP, which has since expanded operations in the Lake Chad Basin region spanning Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
Although Nigerian military offensives have reduced large-scale violence since its peak in 2015, both Boko Haram and ISWAP continue to launch deadly attacks, often overrunning military bases, killing soldiers, and seizing weapons. The insurgency has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million civilians, according to United Nations estimates.
The Air Strikes
According to an official statement by the Nigerian Air Force, the operation was carried out after the military received intelligence from “multiple sources.” Precision air strikes were conducted in successive passes, engaging jihadist fighters at four separate assembly points. The strikes killed at least 35 militants and disrupted their attempts to attack Nigerian ground forces.
The air force reported that communication was re-established with threatened ground troops, who confirmed that the situation in the area had been stabilized. The statement emphasized that the raids were intended to “dominate the battlefield” and “deny terrorists freedom of action.”
Regional Security Situation
The northeast region, which borders Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, continues to face frequent insurgent activity. Both Boko Haram and ISWAP have intensified their assaults in 2025, renewing concerns about Nigeria’s counter-insurgency effectiveness.
In the same week as the air strikes, military officials in neighboring Niger claimed to have killed a Boko Haram leader in the Lake Chad basin, though this claim was denied by close aides to the jihadist command.
International Context
The raids came shortly after the United States State Department approved the potential sale of $346 million worth of weapons to Nigeria, including bombs, rockets, and other munitions, pending Congressional approval. Washington stated that the deal would enhance Nigeria’s ability to confront terrorist threats in the northeast, as well as address armed bandit gangs in the northwest.
The U.S. government, however, also expressed concerns regarding civilian casualties in Nigerian air strikes. The State Department’s annual human rights report cited instances of air raids killing non-combatants and cases of torture of detainees. Officials in Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Abuja pledged continued engagement with the Nigerian government to ensure accountability and reduce harm to civilians.
Casualties
While the Nigerian Air Force reported no civilian casualties in the operation, past incidents of mistaken strikes have raised concerns among humanitarian organizations. Independent verification of the militant death toll remains difficult due to restricted access to the conflict zones.