The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) yesterday said it killed many Boko Haram insurgents and destroyed their structures following air strikes in the fringes of Borno, near Lake Chad.
The bombardments were conducted with fighter jets and helicopter gunships, with the aim of weakening insurgents and neutralising them from carrying out deadly attacks.
Director of Public Relations and Information Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, in a statement yesterday, said the air interdictions were conducted after a routine Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission showed a strong presence of terrorists in Tumbun Rago and Bogumeri, Borno State.
The statement reads: “The Air Force has intensified its air operations in the Northeast, and in the process, neutralised many Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) in Tumbun Rago, a settlement on the northern fringes of Borno State, bordering Lake Chad.
“Boko Haram activities were sighted in Tumbun Rago during a routine ISR mission on December 20; the area is occupied by the Albarnawi faction.
“Accordingly, fighter aircrafts and helicopters were detailed for air interdiction on December 21.
“The aircrafts took turns to unleash their armament on the location. Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) of the attacks showed that the targeted structures were destroyed, causing fire within the location and neutralising many insurgents in the process.
“Thereafter, the recently acquired helicopter gunships carried out mop-up attacks on a few fleeing insurgents. On December 22, the NAF neutralised a large gathering of terrorists Southeast of Bogumeri, also in Borno State, after a convoy of terrorists on motorcycles were trailed to the location.
“The intensification of air operations by the NAF is aimed at further reducing the will of the terrorists to continue their nefarious activities, while also creating the needed advantage for own surface forces to effectively operate.”