From: Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Nigerian Air Force said two of its fighter jets, engaged in the counter-insurgency war in the north east, have destroyed some hideouts and operational headquarters of the Boko Haram terrorists group in Borno State.
The camps destroyed by the fighter planes according to the NAF, were located at Garin Maloma, Arra and Boboshe areas of the state.
Director in charge of public relations and information for the Air Force, Air Commodore Olatokumbo Adesanya, said in a statement, that the destruction was part of the ongoing Operation RUWAN WUTA II and is “to further decimate the ability of the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) to freely operate in the country.”
He said: “The Operation, which commenced on 23 October 2017, is essentially an intensive day and night aerial bombardment that is designed to rain significant fire on freshly discovered hideouts of the BHTs.
According to the statement, “On the first day of the operation, the NAF conducted several Air Interdiction missions in the Northeast, including one on a location in Garin Maloma. Previous intelligence reports, gathered through Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by NAF ISR platforms had revealed the presence of a large number of BHTs in some dispersed structures in Garin Maloma.
“Consequently, the location was attacked, in succession, by two Alpha Jet aircraft. The first Alpha Jet aircraft attacked the settlement with bombs, which destroyed the targeted structures and caused fire around the structures where the BHTs were hiding, sending a few survivors scampering for safety.
“The second Alpha Jet aircraft, which strafed the area with rockets, subsequently took out some of the fleeing BHT survivors.
“Similarly, BHT locations in places such as Arra and Boboshe, amongst others, were successfully attacked by the NAF Mi-17 helicopter and the newly acquired Mi-35M helicopter,” the statement said.