The Nigerian military has intensified its offensive against insurgent groups in the North-East, killing no fewer than 27 terrorists in a series of precision airstrikes targeting key terrorist strongholds in Borno State.
The successful operations, carried out by the Air Component of Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, struck terrorist enclaves in the Southern and Northern Tumbus areas of the Lake Chad region, dealing what military authorities described as a significant blow to insurgent activities in the area.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) disclosed this on Sunday through a statement made available to newsmen after the attack in the state.
NAF stated that the air interdiction missions were launched following extensive Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations that tracked the movements and hideouts of terrorist elements operating within the theatre.
The report disclosed that the first strike was conducted at Dawoshe, a notorious terrorist enclave located in the Southern Tumbus axis.
Military surveillance platforms reportedly detected suspicious terrorist movements and vehicles within the area before air assets, including Dragon attack aircraft and ISR platforms, engaged the targets.
“The terrorists’ vehicles were identified during aerial surveillance and subsequently engaged,” the report stated.
A Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) conducted after the operation confirmed that the targeted vehicles were completely destroyed while 12 terrorists were neutralised during the strike.
In a separate operation carried out on the same day, air assets executed a precision attack on terrorist positions at Metele in the Northern Tumbus area of Guzamala Local Government Area.
According to military authorities, the strike was based on actionable intelligence indicating the presence of armed insurgents regrouping within the area.
Post-strike assessments supported by Battle Damage Assessment findings and Human Intelligence (HUMINT) sources confirmed that 15 additional terrorists were killed during the operation.
The military said the twin operations significantly disrupted terrorist logistics networks and weakened the operational capacity of insurgent groups hiding within the difficult terrain of the Lake Chad fringes.
It was learnt that Tumbus region was identified as one of the major sanctuaries used by terrorist groups to launch attacks, store weapons and coordinate movements across parts of Borno and neighbouring countries.
Military officials noted that the latest offensive forms part of an ongoing campaign aimed at denying insurgents freedom of movement and dismantling their remaining strongholds in the North-East.
“The successful strikes dealt a significant blow to terrorist elements operating within the Lake Chad fringes and Tumbus hideouts,” the report said.
The military further disclosed that the operations are part of sustained efforts to degrade terrorist capabilities, eliminate high-value targets and restore lasting peace to communities affected by years of insurgency.
Residents of several communities in northern Borno have repeatedly appealed for intensified military operations against insurgent camps, particularly in remote areas around the Lake Chad basin, where armed groups continue to exploit difficult terrain for concealment.