Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has destroyed a terrorist enclave and neutralised scores of insurgents during precision air strikes conducted in the Lake Chad region.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the operation was carried out by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in the early hours of June 10 at METELE in the Northern Tumbuns area of the Lake Chad Basin.
The NAF said the strikes followed credible intelligence reports and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions which confirmed the presence of a senior terrorist commander, terrorist hideouts and increased insurgent activities in the area.
The statement stated that air assets were deployed to engage identified targets after surveillance missions observed significant movement around concealed structures believed to be used by the terrorists.
“Following positive target identification, the aircraft executed devastating strikes on the designated locations,” the statement said.The Air Force added that post-strike Battle Damage Assessment indicated that the terrorist enclave was destroyed and scores of terrorists were neutralised during the operation.
Reacting to the development, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, commended personnel involved in the mission and reaffirmed the service’s commitment to ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
“We will continue to leverage our air power capabilities to locate, strike and destroy terrorist targets wherever they are found. The Nigerian Air Force remains resolute in denying terrorists freedom of action and ensuring they have no safe haven within our sovereign territory,” Aneke said.The latest operation forms part of ongoing military efforts to combat insurgency and restore security in Nigeria’s North-East region.