• Warplanes pound Boko Haram strongholds for ground troops to move in
Barely 24 hours after the military recaptured 11 communities hitherto occupied by Boko Haram in Borno State, a major success was recorded yesterday, in the effort to flush out the insurgents within the six weeks approved for service chiefs.
The Defence Headquarters yesterday revealed successful air strikes on the Sambisa Forest, the training camp of Boko Haram and Gwoza, before ground troops moved in.
According to a statement by Major General Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information, the air strikes uprooted insurgents, with many of them scampering around the forest.
He stated: “A concerted air campaign by the Nigerian Air Force is ongoing in furtherance of the mission to clear terrorists from all their enclaves. The air strikes, which today (yesterday) targeted the training camps and logistics dump of the terrorists in Sambisa forests and parts of Gwoza, have been highly successful, as it achieved the aims with required precision.
“The death of a large number of terrorists has been recorded while many others are also scampering all over the forest and out of the struck bases. Meanwhile, the strikes continue in other locations of the theatre heralding the advance of troops and other elements of the mission.”
The military had on Wednesday, recaptured 11 communities in Borno State earlier occupied by insurgents. In the onslaught, about 300 terrorists were killed, while arms and ammunition were also recovered.
General Olukolade had stated that the flushing out of Boko Haram in communities earlier taken over by insurgents has resulted in “massive casualty inflicted on them within the last two days of the counter-terrorist operations,” adding: “Over 300 terrorists were killed, while a few were also captured. Several weapons and equipment were also captured and some destroyed.”
Listing what was recovered from Boko Haram in the operation, General Olukolade stated that they include “five different types of armoured fighting vehicles, an anti-aircraft gun, about 50 cases of packed bombs and eight different types of machine guns, five rocket propelled grenades, 49 boxes of various types and calibres of ammunition as well as 300 motorcycles destroyed in the fighting.”
He also revealed that six Hilux vehicles, “including those mounted with anti-aircraft guns were also destroyed.”
He disclosed that two soldiers lost their lives, while 10 others were wounded in the operation.
The defence spokesman said the military had engaged in the search of the recaptured communities, “with aggressive patrols by troops who are now dominating the cleared communities, such as Monguno, Gabchari, Abba Jabari, Zuntur, Gajigana, Gajiram, Damakar, Kumaliwa, Bosso Wanti, Jeram and Kabrisungul.”
He revealed that various phases of the “highly coordinated air and land operations are also ongoing in the designated theaters being handled by contingents involved in the renewed counter terrorism campaign in and outside Nigeria.”
The military had asked for some weeks to flush out Boko Haram from the country, having got the cooperation of Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon that donated troops and also involved in the military operation.
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