Nigeria’s military says it has killed 35 jihadists in air strikes near the north-eastern border with Cameroon.
The strikes were launched in four areas to prevent an attack on ground troops, the army said.
Nigeria has faced jihadist groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province for more than a decade, alongside violent criminal gangs, sectarian conflict and mass kidnappings.
On Saturday, prominent Nigerians, including former ministers, business leaders and civil society figures, warned that parts of the country were facing “war-time levels of slaughter”.
They cited an Amnesty International report that put deaths since President Bola Tinubu took office two years ago at 10,217.
The group called for a Presidential Task Force with sweeping powers to address the conflicts.
Last week, the military said it had killed nearly 600 militants in eight months, though the figure could not be independently verified. The air force pledged continued support to ground operations dismantling jihadist bases.
More than 35,000 people have died and two million have been displaced in the north-east conflict, according to the UN.
This month, the US approved a $346m weapons sale to Nigeria to boost counter-insurgency efforts.
The Institute for Security Studies says at least 15 jihadist attacks have been recorded this year near the borders with Cameroon and Niger, with militants using modified drones to hit army bases.
Separately, the army said it carried out strikes on “bandits” in north-west Katsina state, rescuing 76 kidnapping victims. One child died in the operation.
The raid followed an attack in Unguwan Mantau village where gunmen opened fire on a mosque and homes, killing at least 50 people and abducting about 60 others.
Katsina and neighbouring Zamfara remain the states worst hit by armed groups in the north-west.
