Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Fighter jets of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) wednesday bombed camps of the terrorists in Abullam in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State, killing many insurgents.
NAF Headquarters said the bombing campaign was carried out by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole.
It said the air interdiction marked the commencement of Operation Rattle Snake 2 aimed at taking out some identified insurgent camps and logistics facilities in order to further unhinge the terrorists’ centre of gravity and diminish their fighting capability.
“Abullam was selected for attack on day one of the operation based on credible intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists had resumed using the once abandoned settlement as a staging point from where they launch attacks against own ground troops’ locations. “Accordingly, the ATF detailed its attack aircraft, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, to attack designated compounds within the settlement”, it said.
The war update issued by NAF Spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said “the jets took turns to engage the target in successive passes leading to the destruction of some of the structures as well as the killing of several terrorists”.
