Nigeria’s military has killed 35 jihadists in a series of air strikes near its north-eastern border with Cameroon, it said in a statement.
The strikes were carried out in four areas to thwart an attempt by the jihadists to attack ground troops, the military added.
Nigeria has been battling jihadist groups for more than a decade, as well as violent criminal gangs, sectarian conflict and widespread kidnappings for ransom.
On Saturday, a group of prominent Nigerians, including ex-government ministers, business persons and civil society activists, issued a statement, raising concern that parts of Nigeria were enduring “war-time levels of slaughter”, while the country was officially at peace.
The group cited a report released in May by rights group Amnesty International, which said that at least 10,217 people had been killed since President Bola Tinubu took office two years ago.
It called for the formation of a Presidential Task Force with wide-ranging powers to end the numerous conflicts – including the resurgence of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram and the breakaway Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) in the north-east.
Last week, the army reported killing nearly 600 militants in eight months in the region. There is no independent confirmation of the claim.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it would continue to provide air cover to ground troops dismantling jihadist bases in the north-east.
More than 35,000 people have been killed and two million displaced in the conflict, according to the UN.
Earlier this month, the US State Department approved the sale of weapons worth $346m (£256m) to Nigeria in a bid to help it to quell unrest.
The Institute for Security Studies think-tank said that at least 15 jihadist attacks had been recorded so far this year in areas near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon and Niger.
The jihadists were using modified commercial drones to strike at army bases, and were making it difficult for the military to send reinforcements, it added.
The military said it had also carried air strikes on “bandits”, a term used to describe criminal gangs in Nigeria, in north-western Katsina state.
The operation led to 76 kidnapping victims, including women and children, being rescued, the military added.
The Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security, Nasir Mua’zu, said that a child had died during the rescue efforts.
The operation followed an attack in the village of Unguwan Mantau in Katsina last week, with gunmen opening fire on worshippers in a mosque and on residents in nearby homes.
The attack led to the killing of at least 50 people and the abduction of about 60 others – some of whom were rescued in the military operation, officials said.
Katsina and neighbouring Zamfara state have been hit the hardest by bandits in the north-west, leading to the most deaths and displacement.
By BBC News
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