A Nigerian military drone strike has reportedly killed about 15 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)fighters during an intelligence-led operation in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.
The operation was disclosed by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama in a post shared on his X account, where he cited intelligence sources familiar with the mission.
According to Makama, the airstrike was carried out at about 5:35 a.m. on Monday, July 21, after intelligence reportedly identified the presence of suspected terrorists around KLA Balia in Marte LGA.
He said an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, codenamed Guardian, was deployed over the area and detected three vehicles concealed at separate locations believed to be used by the suspected insurgents.
Further surveillance allegedly identified several nearby structures, where five suspected terrorists were seen taking cover beneath a tree.
Following what intelligence sources described as positive target identification, the drone reportedly carried out a precision strike, killing the five visible suspects. The strike also triggered secondary explosions, which intelligence assessments reportedly estimate resulted in the deaths of about 15 suspected insurgents.
Makama further stated that after a battle damage assessment, the ISR platform attempted a second precision strike aimed at destroying the three concealed vehicles.
However, according to the report, the follow-up strike was unsuccessful because of a malfunction in the drone’s laser targeting system, preventing accurate engagement of the targets.
Despite the technical setback, military sources quoted by Makama described the operation as a significant success, saying it inflicted heavy losses on the suspected terrorist group and disrupted its activities in the area.
The sources added that surveillance of the location is continuing and that additional operations may be carried out to target surviving insurgents and destroy the remaining vehicles.
The reported operation is part of the ongoing Operation HADIN KAI air interdiction campaign aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves, disrupting logistics networks and targeting insurgent leadership across the Lake Chad region and Nigeria’s North-East.
The casualty figures and operational details were reported by security analyst Zagazola Makama, citing intelligence sources, and have not been independently verified by the Nigerian military.