In continuation of the military offensive to rid the North East Theatre of Boko Haram/ISWAP yerrorists, a massive joint air and ground offensive by troops of Operation Hadin Kai has resulted in the neutrilization of over 100 terrorists.
Sources said Boko Haram otherwise known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād and its splinter, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups suffered the attacks and losses including the killing of five top Commanders in the fringes of Sambisa Forest.
The Source added that the Intelligence-led Aerial and Ground Coordinated Operation launched On September 1, 2022, which involved the Air Task Force, Troops of 199 Special Forces Battalion and 222 Battalion, targeted the Terrorists Hideouts in “Gaizuwa also known as Gabchari, Sheruri, Mantari and Mallum Masari, villages located in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
A Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama who confirmed the operation disclosed that a damage assessment showd that the successful operation led to the elimination of high-ranking Commanders such as Abou Hauwa, (Munzir) Amir Shettima, Akura Buri(Nakif), Abou Zainab, Abou Idris and their fighters.
The sources said that ground troops had during the raid, stormed a hide out of the terrorists in Gafchari, where they engaged the troops in a gun battle leading to killing of over 30 fighters while others escaped with bullet wounds.
Sources further explained that the ATF, in another Coordination with the ground troops, detailed two Super Tukano to conduct air interdiction missions against the insurgents which resulted in nutrialising of additional 70 fighters with many who tried to escape drowned in the river.
According to him, “A Similar strikes were also undertaken at Sheruri when the combat aircraft attacked another location of fighters deployed to stage an ambush against own ground troops.
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He said the Super Tukano scored a devastating hits, killing two terrorist Commanders; Akura Buri (Nakif) and Abou Hauwa with morethan 63 of their fighters and foot soldiers.
“In another separate encounter with the terrorists during the robust fighting patrol, the troops succeeded in eliminating another scores of insurgents in the axis of Mantari after a gun battle which lasted for about two and half hourz.
“In Gazuwa, the troops destroyed two vehicles and the home of Abou Iklilima which used to be a hideouts to insurgent Leaders. Other makeshift tent and properties belonging to terrorists were also destroyed,”he said,”he said.
According to him, few of the surviving terrorists who escaped the military raids returned on September 3 to recover their dead fighters bodies at Sheruri and Gabchari.
He added that they were able to recover 36 additional bodies of fighters who drowned in the river in Gabchari.
“Additional 9 bodies who died as a result of bullet wounds were recovered around the bushes in Gaizuwa, among them were two Boko Haram Commanders including; Abou Zainab, Abou Idris.
“While they were making preparations to conduct mass burials for their Mujahedeens, the military authorities acting on the intelligence, deployed the Super Tukano to the location, killing unspecified numbers of them.
The sources said the targets were subsequently acquired and engulfed in flames all after. The aftermath of the airstrike revealed that pandemonium broke out as the remnant of surviving terrorists took cover under nearby trees and later Fled away.
“The week-long sustained operations that were carried out simultaneously in different locations within the North East Theartre of Sambisa Forest by the troops of Operation Hadin Kai, has completely degraded the capabilities of the insurgents,”he said.
It would be recalled that a senior officer of the Nigerian Airforce, explained in the recent past that as a result of the use of technology, military/attack aircraft are fitted with equipment that can estimate the number of casualties, terrorists and bandits killed during operational strike’s from the heat generated by their neutralized bodies when there is precision hits.
The officer therefore said figures of criminal elements neutralized by air strikes are carefully analysed before such figures come out in the public domain.
