Nigeria says it killed 35 fighters in air strikes near border with Cameroon | Conflict News

Strikes are latest by the Nigerian military as it battles resurgence of attacks by armed groups in country’s northeast.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has killed at least 35 armed fighters in air strikes near the country’s border with Cameroon, following intelligence that an attack on ground troops was being planned.

The strikes were launched on Saturday on four targets in the Kumshe area in Borno State, near the Nigeria-Cameroon border, said NAF spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame.

“Following the operation, communication was re-established with ground troops, who confirmed that the situation around their location had been stabilised,” he said.

The strikes are the latest by the Nigerian military as it battles a resurgence of attacks in the country’s embattled northeast.

The region faces frequent attacks from Boko Haram and its rival splinter group, ISIL (ISIS) West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Both ISWAP and Boko Haram have recently ramped up their assaults on the military in northeastern Nigeria, which, in addition to Cameroon, also borders Chad and Niger. Armed fighters have overrun military bases, killing soldiers and seizing weapons.

While Nigeria’s 16-year-old armed conflict has slowed since violence peaked around 2015, attacks have picked up since the beginning of the year.

According to the United Nations, the conflict has killed more than 35,000 civilians and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes.

Last week, the US State Department approved the sale of $346m in weapons, including bombs, rockets and munitions, to Nigeria, subject to approval by Congress.

The weapons would “improve Nigeria’s capability to meet current and future threats through operations against terrorist organizations”, the department said.