The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has neutralised Boko Haram terrorist camps at Zanari and Tunbun Rego, in Borno.

Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the operation was carried out on Monday.

“The NAF ATF of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has recorded further gains in the ongoing air interdiction operations designed to wipe out remnants of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) within the fringes of Lake Chad.

“This occurred as the ATF on Aug.20 conducted air strikes on BHT camps at Zanari and Tunbun Rego in Borno State.

“The air strikes at Zanari were planned and executed based on intelligence reports indicating that the BHTs had established a training camp in the village and were converging in an area prior to departing for an attack on own troops locations around the Lake Chad area.

“Accordingly, the ATF scrambled II NAF Alpha Jet aircraft for a pre-emptive strike on two specified locations within Zanari, where the BHTs were assembled,” he said.

Daramola said that the fighter aircraft acquired and attacked both locations, neutralising several BHTs, with only few survivors seen fleeing the area, adding that “these were later mopped up by follow-on rocket strikes”.

“Similarly, another identified BHT rendezvous point and staging area on the outskirts of Tunbun Rego was also attacked and destroyed by the Alpha Jets,” the spokesman said.

He said that the NAF would continue to deploy its platforms to conduct intensive Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions in the entire Northeast aimed at discovering the possible locations of remnants of BHTs and neutralising them. (NAN)

Doris Esa

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