Nigerian troops killed four high-ranking terrorists from a Daesh-linked terrorist group, including a member of its so-called Shura Council and two other high-ranking terrorists, during an operation in Borno State in the country’s northeast, the military said.

The operation took place late in the evening on October 31 in the Kukawa Local Government Area after terrorists launched an attack on military positions, according to a statement issued Sunday by Captain Mohammed Goni, acting media information officer of Operation Hadin Kai.

Several other terrorists were also killed during the engagement, the statement said.

Troops, supported by air assets, repelled the assault and recovered weapons, ammunition and communication devices, according to the military.

Other terror targets

The operation came three days after another military engagement in Buni Yadi, where Nigerian troops killed 55 terrorists, including several high-ranking terrorists.

The military described the successive operations as part of efforts to weaken Daesh’s so-called leadership and disrupt its operational networks in northeastern Nigeria.

The Daesh-linked terrorist group emerged from a split within Boko Haram in 2016 and has become a terrorist organisation in the Lake Chad Basin, operating across parts of Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

Terrorist activities in northeastern Nigeria, which began in 2009, have killed thousands of people and displaced millions while disrupting livelihoods and humanitarian operations across the region.