The Defence Headquarters says that the land and air components of Operation Lafiya Dole have successfully overrun many Boko Haram/Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists’ hideouts in one week in North East.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, said this while giving a weekly update on the activities of the military across theatres of operation on Thursday in Abuja.
Enenche said the troops conducted aggressive clearance operations including artillery and aerial bombardments on terrorists’ hideouts at different locations within the theatre of operation between Oct. 15 and Oct. 21.
He also said that the troops successfully denied the terrorists freedom of action as well as reduced their operational capabilities with superior firepower.
Enenche disclosed that the troops had on Oct. 16, eliminated four terrorists and recovered four AK47 riffles during clearance operations at Sawa village in Nganzai Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno.
He added that the Air Task Force also conducted a series of air interdiction and surveillance missions leading to the destruction of terrorists’ hideouts and elimination of scores of their terrorists.
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According to him, airstrikes executed on Oct. 15, destroyed some terrorists’ structures and logistics items at TudunWulgo and Tumbun Gini Villages on the fringes of Lake Chad.
“The airstrikes led to the neutralisation of several ISWAP fighters and destruction of the identified structures with their logistics facilities.
Similarly, on Oct. 18, air interdiction missions killed scores of ISWAP members and destroyed their hideouts in Tsilala Village near Kaza in the Diwa general area of Borno.
“In another development, sustained air strikes executed on Oct. 19, decimated several ISWAP training camps and their logistics storage facilities at Tumbun Barorowa, also on the fringes of the Lake Chad,’’ he said.
The coordinator said that the recent downward trend in kinetic operations in the North East was a direct result of superior operational capabilities of the Nigerian military and cooperation from the populace.
“Thus, as the High Command of the Military appreciates the general public for their support.
“It further solicits their cooperation towards providing credible and timely information on terrorists’ activities to facilitate proactive engagements in our operations in the North East,’’ he said.