Al-Mainuki died a “martyr” in US-Nigeria joint bombing of enclave in Lake Chad – ISWAP opens up

Two weeks after the deadly bombing of the Lake Chad enclave of the ISWAP in which its secod in command, Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki, was killed, the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP has described the killing as “martyr”.

This was confirmed in a statement by the terrorists, media unit on Thursday, a day after the Eid-el-Kabir.

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The media unit described those killed in the aerial bombing as “martyrs”, revealing that at least three foreign ISIS terrorists were among those killed.

The statement was released two weeks after the United States and Nigeria coordinated attack on facility deep inside the Lake Chad basin.

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The operation reportedly involved a precision airborne assault supported by surveillance drones, intelligence assets and attack aircraft targeted at high-value Islamic State-linked operatives.

Other credible source said several women believed to be associated with the insurgent camp were eliminated in the operation.

ISWAP, in its statement, acknowledged that al-Mainuki was killed during the raid while attempting to portray those who died as committed members of the group.

The ISWAP in the statement stated that US forces had monitored the commander for months using drones before launching what it described as a major airborne assault.

It also confirmed that its media headquarters was directly targeted during the operation and that those present at the facility were killed.

Although ISWAP did not disclose the number of casualties, intelligence sources claimed that as many as 175 fighters may have been killed in the operation.

Security analysts believe the raid dealt a major blow to ISWAP’s media infrastructure and command network in the Lake Chad axis.

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