Military begins Aerial Assault on Terrorists' Bunkers
Posted by admin | 9 years ago | 3,056 times
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has carried out fresh air strikes targeted at terrorists’ bunkers in Sambisa forest.
Military sources said the targeted strikes were aimed at hidden supply routes and fortified terrorist enclaves which were exposed after the sustained military offensive few months back and reliable intelligence that accompanied the mop up operations.
A statement by NAF Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Air Commodore Dele Alonge, said the strikes on Sambisa forest which were carried out by F-7NI and Alpha Jet fighter aircraft, as well as attack helicopters, came after several weeks of tactical reconnaissance by the reconnaissance/surveillance aircraft.
The NAF spokesman said the fresh aerial assault were in pursuit of the Nigerian military’s resolution to incapacitate and further degrade the fighting spirit of the Boko Haram terrorist group.
He noted that the aerial campaign has resulted in the degradation of the terrorists
capabilities and destruction of some of their strongholds.
According to Alonge, "Intelligence report revealed that as aftermath of the strike missions, the terrorists havd been confined and their capabilities greatly reduced, thereby restricting their nefarious activities to small scale attacks and suicide bombings.”
The statement from the NAF headquarters quoted the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, as assuring Nigerians that the fresh campaign would be sustained until Boko Haram activities becomes a thing of the past.
Abubakar was further quoted as saying that with the support of Nigerians, the NAF was “willing, able and ready to meet up with current and future security challenges of the nation.”
In a related development, security sources noted that the air force was fully mobilised to specifically target identified Boko Haram supply routes and bunkers.
They noted that hidden supply routes and camouflaged terrorist enclaves were exposed after the sustained military offensive few months back and reliable intelligence that accompanied the mop up operations.
"I can tell you that the air force is over 80 per cent, and going to 90 per cent fully operational, one of the highest capacities for a very long time. The order now, and with enhanced intelligence, is to target and cut off the Boko Haram supply routes," a source said.
"We just saw the Air Force F7 jets, two of them came in today showing there is improvement now. We have the fighters in dozens in Makurdi and they are coming in to fight," another military source in the battle front said.
The NAF had last week deployed additional combat platforms to the North-east in support of the ongoing counter-insurgency operation codenamed ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’.
Alonge , who made the disclosure in a statement, had said that the new deployment came on the heels of the recent visit of the Chief of the Air Force to the operational areas, and in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate to bring an end to insurgency in the North-East.
He listed the newly deployed platforms to include the F-7Ni fighter aircraft, Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, Agusta 109 LUH, Supa Puma Combat Support helicopter and ATR-42 surveillance aircraft which hitherto had been away for scheduled maintenance.
Also yesterday, National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-Gen. Babagana Monguno, led the security chiefs on a visit to assess the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and security situation on the ground in Borno State.
This came barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari decorated the service chiefs - Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Baba Abubakar, as well as the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase - with their new ranks.
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