Air strikes kill terrorists in Borno, pound hideouts in Katsina, Kwara

Newly inaugurated Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, swung into action at the weekend.

In a coordinated intelligence-driven action, scores of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists were bombed out of existence as they gathered for another dastardly act.

The strikes, which also destroyed the enemy’s cache of arms, took place around the Lake Chad area of Borno State – the epicentre of the Boko Haram Terrorists.

In two other strikes by the Air Force, hideouts of terrorists gathering in Katsina and Kwara were wiped out.

NAF’s spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, gave an account of how the Air Force took the battle to the terrorists on Sunday.

He said: “Air assets conducted precision strikes southeast of Shuwaram before shifting to Mallam Fatori, where ISWAP elements were observed mobilising with motorcycles and boats along the Lake Chad Basin.

“The strikes destroyed insurgent hideouts, logistics hubs, and weapons storage facilities, eliminating several terrorists and crippling their mobility capabilities.

“Post-strike assessments confirmed multiple neutralisations and a significant degradation of ISWAP’s operational networks in the area.”

The statement added that while airstrikes were ongoing in the Northeast, another NAF fighter jet carried out precision air interdiction missions over Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara State, striking bandit camps with “devastating accuracy.”

According to the statement, the attacks based on credible intelligence left the bandits suffering heavy losses.  

In a similar operation, air assets under Operation FANSAN YAMMA struck Zango Hill, which harbours a terrorist kingpin and his fighters in the Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Some of the terrorists were killed and their logistics hubs destroyed.

The statement described the strike as one of the most decisive against bandits in the Northwest in recent times.

It added that in a bid to demonstrate sustained reach and precision, the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, under Sector 1, conducted an Armed Reconnaissance mission across the Northwest corridor, covering key settlements in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna States.

It said settlements like Kakihum, Dankolo, Kotonkoro, and Kuyello served as routes and hideouts for armed groups along the Birnin Gwari–Funtua axis.

“During the mission, coordination with Forward Operating Bases at Dankolo and Kotonkoro revealed suspicious movement near Wam Hill, where terrorists on motorcycles were spotted attempting to flee.

“The aircrew swiftly engaged and neutralised the targets, with no further hostile activity observed,” it said.

NAF attributed the success of the operations across Borno, Kwara, and Katsina states, as well as the entire Northwest, to the directives of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke.

“Each mission reaffirms NAF’s resolve to project smarter and intelligence-driven airpower to project purposeful lethality against insurgents and criminals while protecting the lives and properties of citizens towards enhancing national security,” the statement said.

Source: The Nation