At least 37 ISWAP/Boko Haram terrorists have been killed in airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force in Sambisa Forest.
This was disclosed by the spokesman for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Sunday.
Mr Nwachukwu, a brigadier-general, said many other terrorists also suffered injury in the nocturnal operation.
“Joint troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have continued to intensify their onslaught on terrorists’ enclaves in the North East, as in the early hours of Saturday 30 October 2021, the vigilant troops observed the movement of six Gun Trucks within Sambisa Forest general area, which were subsequently located at a settlement near Yuwe,” Mr Nwachukwu said.
“The trucks later moved to a remote location, where they were joined by other terrorist elements, in what seemed like a convergence for a meeting.
“Over 50 Boko Haram/ ISWAP fighters were observed to have gathered at the meeting. Having clearly identified the terrorists’ hideout, the Air Component of OPHK immediately dispatched two aircrafts to conduct air interdiction on the location. The strikes, which were carried out under cover of darkness, were successful and devastating, as battle damage assessment corroborated by local sources revealed that over 37 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists were neutralized, while several of them reportedly suffered varying degrees of injury.
“In another development, as the aircrafts retreated to base after the air interdiction, the combat air crew located another set of four Gun Trucks about six Kilometers South West of Bama. The air crew immediately relayed the coordinates of the location of the Gun Trucks to troops of the Land Component at Bama, who promptly engaged the location with Artillery fire bombardment, neutralizing the insurgents’ gun trucks.
“The successful joint operations conducted by both the Air and Land Components, with the support of other security agencies under Operation HADIN KAI has yet again underscored the importance of synergy and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.
“Troops of OPHK remain resolute and unshaken in their effort to bring the insurgents to their knees.”