In an airstrike on December 20 in Borno, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) claims to have killed over 100 terrorists, including several of their leaders.
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, made a statement on this subject on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) did the interdiction mission at Mantari village in the Gezuwa area of the Bama Local Government Area of Borno.
The director said that terrorist leaders Khalid Tukur, Maimusari, and Bakura Jega were among those killed.
According to Gabkwet, the attack was in response to an intelligence report that a Boko Haram terrorist commander by the name of Ikirima had arrived in the village of Mantari with his gun trucks and was travelling with additional militants on motorbikes.
“Thereafter, permission for an airstrike was granted, which resulted in the destruction of a number of local structures and terrorists.”Some terrorists who were still alive after the initial airstrikes made their way back to the same spot to remove the bodies of those who had been killed.
This opened the door for a second attack on the same target, which was quite successful as over 100 terrorists were killed and others were said to be in serious condition.
According to Gabkwet, ISWAP and Boko Haram members are ready to restart hostilities after the holiday season and the upcoming general elections.
“The successful air attacks were made possible by the timely intelligence gathered on their plans, particularly their attempt to hit soft targets in Alabama.” This helped limit their desire to regroup and attack innocent civilians.
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“There is no question that the advancements and successes being made, particularly by the air and ground forces, have significantly reduced recent increases in terrorist campaigns in the North-East zone.”
But both air and ground soldiers have been warned to keep their attention on the goal, he said.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) have both praised the work of these people and other security organisations working under OPHK for the great successes in the theater.
They say that the area is much safer now because of the activities that are still going on.
However, the pair asked the soldiers to keep doing their best to ensure that the area was free of all terrorists.
Along with praising the troops’ dedication and extraordinary sacrifices as Borno slowly returns to peace, they also paid special respect to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.
The service chiefs wished the troops a happy holiday and thanked them for their sacrifices and hard work on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians.
