The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says its Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has inflicted heavy casualties on Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP) elements in devastating air strikes conducted at Tumbun Hamma on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno.
Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who announced this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja,said the the operation was conducted on Friday.
” The attack was conducted following credible intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists, who had fled the series of air strikes conducted by Nigerian, Nigerien and Chadian Air Forces, around the Malkanori-Tumbun Rego general axis of northern Borno State, had converged in Tumbun Hamma,” he said.
He explained that the attack was preceded by series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions which confirmed heavy presence of terrorists in several structures, along with their logistics items, spread across the small settlement.
” Accordingly, the ATF scrambled an Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the location, recording a successful direct hit in the centre of the target area leading to the neutralisation of several terrorists as well as the destruction of their structures and logistics,” he said.
Daramola said the NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, would sustain its operations to completely degrade the terrorists in the North-East.(NAN)